Fate's Little Helper
by writersblock24
Summary: Stephanie Plum's life is finally falling into place, but there is something still missing. Enter Grandma Mazur, who believes she found the missing piece in Carlos Manoso, owner of Rangeman Securities. Will her plan soar or crash and burn? AU STORY.
1. Chapter 1

Oh hi! Remember me? I'm the author that said she'd have her new story out three weeks ago... Sorry about that. I've been having some massive writer's block. I explained it to jenio1 that it felt like I was standing in front of a classroom, mouth open, and nothing coming out. I had the ideas, but they just wouldn't come out the way I wanted them too. So after lots of hair pulling, sleepless nights and thoughtful hours at work, I finally sat down to write. I think that the hardest part to write is the first chapter, so hopefully since that's done, the rest will be easier. I'd like to post once a week, but we'll see how everything goes first. Right now, I'll update when I can. The block doesn't seem to be completely gone.

Umm... I think that's all for now.

None of this is mine. I'm just grateful that JE lets us play with her fantastic characters.

**Warning: **In case you missed it in the summary, this story is going to be **AU**. A few things will be the same, but there will be some differences. If you're looking for a story in cannon, you're more than welcome to leave right now and read either one of my other stories or another author. No one is holding a gun to your head and making you read this. Let's all be grown ups about this. You like what you like, and if you don't like this, I won't hold it against you.

* * *

It was a typical Monday night here at the Plum house. We were all gathered around the dinner table, sharing a pot roast, taking turns complementing the cook for keeping the roast nice and moist.

However, a "special guest" was sharing the meal.

"So Joe," Helen said with a smile on her face as she cut her meat. "How are things at work?"

Joe Morelli was from the burg. He had swarthy Italian good looks, all dark hair and milk chocolate eyes. His leather jacket was thrown over the couch, so his muscles were showing through his tight blue shirt.

It was a nice view, if I do say so myself.

Currently, he was one of Trenton's finest and had a reputation as a lothario that would put anyone to shame. It was in his genes as well as heavy drinking and fighting, but he didn't seem to share anything other than the need to chase women. It was nice to see that he was turning out better than his father.

Morelli shrugged one of his broad shoulders. "Oh you know, Mrs. Plum. Saving the world, one criminal at a time." He replied, a similar smile crossing his face.

Ugh, I want to throw up.

In my family, there are two things that are important. Number one is food; we love to eat our feelings. Some people yell their anger, or scream out their frustration, but in our family, nothing says you screwed me over like a burned roast, or I'm sorry better than your favorite desert. Thank God for our Hungarian genes or we'd all be morbidly obese.

Of course, that didn't mean I wanted him to ruin my dinner.

"And I heard you moved into you Aunt's house. May she rest in peace." She added with the sign of the cross.

The other was family. We made sure everyone was okay and taken care of. Nothing ever left the family. If you died, all your stuff went to the remaining members. That's how Joe got the house. She was acting as if he bought it for a steal.

"Yes. It's coming along nicely. I'm putting my own stamp on it." He turned his head. "You should come over at see it."

"Uh huh, yep."

I looked across the table at my granddaughter Stephanie and we shared a knowing eye roll. _Like that was ever going to happen._ I hid my snicker behind my napkin.

"Stephanie…" Helen said in her vaguely threatening tone.

Stephanie brought her head up, eyes wide. Her cheek was puffed out from the food she was shoveling into her mouth. "What?"

Helen eyed her, then Joe with raised eyebrows. It was obvious what he was doing there. Now that Stephanie was single again, my daughter was playing matchmaker.

And not being very subtle about it.

Stephanie eyed Joe and looked back at me. We shared another eye roll. As if we couldn't figure out what she was doing.

Stephanie glanced over at Joe. "That would be nice, but I'm very busy at the store right now."

"Oh yes. How is your little shop?" He asked in his pseudo-nice voice. Stephanie's head flew up and she straightened. My own hackles rose. I was very proud of my baby granddaughter. After being fired from her job at E.E. Martin as a lingerie buyer, she turned around and opened her own boutique called Pretty Lacy Things. She made women feel sexy in their own skin and he made it sound like she was selling porn.

"She's already had some offers to sell." Helen jumped in. ""She's going to be very rich so she will have more time to focus on her life at home."

"Mother, you know I've turned those offers down. I like my job."

I looked over at Frank, my son-in-law and saw he was grinning. There wasn't much that we agreed on, but were proud of our girl.

"Well maybe that'll make them offer more." Helen was trying to salvage any damage she thought Stephanie was creating. My daughter believed that all men just wanted a wife who stayed home and cooked.

And that was true of all of the single men living in the Burg. They're all just looking for their mother.

"Yeah, saying no just makes you that much more desirable." His eyes darkened with lust.

As the teenagers say, gag me.

* * *

"Ma, I can't believe you did that!" Stephanie said as we cleaned up the kitchen. She was placing the plates at Helen's elbow and leaned on the counter. I sat at the counter, drying dishes and putting them away, watching the drama.

"You've been divorced for almost a year. I think it's time you started dating again."

She rolled her eyes. "I _am_ dating."

"You've had one date."

"I've been busy getting my store open."

"Ah yes. _That_ store."

Stephanie straightened again. "And what's wrong with it?"

"No man is going to want to marry you if he thinks your career is more important than him."

"Well, right now, I guess it is." She sighed. "Look ma, I appreciate what you were doing, but don't do it again."

"I just want you happy." Helen's voice was small. She felt bad, but I doubt she would stop until her daughter was married. My other granddaughter Valerie was happily married and living in California. She was a true carbon copy of her mother. So Helen felt her life was incomplete unless both of her children were married. That's how things worked in the Burg.

Stephanie smiled softly. "But I am happy."

Helen nodded once, and then went back to her dishes.

The minute Helen's back was turned, the smile on Stephanie's smile faded. I've never seen Stephanie's face fall so fast before. As she stared out the window, I knew she was thinking about the small piece of her that was missing. Sure, she was happy with her career and her friends.

But there was still something missing.

Her face still haunts me.

"Edna, are you okay?" Dotty asked. Concern was written all over her face as our eyes met in the mirror. I was getting my hair done at my weekly appointment.

I shook my head, shaking the memory back. "Just thinking."

"Must be something big. Care to share?"

"Not yet." I knew how this town loved to talk.

"Well if that gleam in your eye, I can tell the wheels of your mind are turning hard."

She was right about that. I figured after all Stephanie's been through, she deserved a little happy.

As I was plotting, the perfect answer walked by. He was Latino; dark eyes, dark hair and I'm sure his personality was full of a fiery passion. He was wearing all black, which showed every hard muscle. He put Joe Morelli to shame.

Stephanie and I had a similar taste in men.

And if I were ten years younger…

He was perfect.

And if he didn't turn out to be perfect, the tall black man walking with the Sex God might work as well.

Now I know what you're thinking. I'm doing the same exact thing as my daughter. And you're right, I am. But I'm going to do one thing differently.

The plan started to form into my head.

Helen wasn't subtle. That was where she went wrong. After her first marriage to the man we now call "the Dick", she likes to be the master of her universe. She likes to make decisions.

So instead of shoving her into that hottie's arms like her mother did (although I'm sure they would be delicious), I'm going to nudge her in. Be Fate's little helper, if you will. If things don't work, they don't work.

But something deep down inside of me knew this was going to work.

I'm going to have to do some recon now.

"Ooh, now I want ringside seats." Dotty said, excitement all over her face.

Yep, this was going to be the show of a lifetime.


	2. Chapter 2

Yay! I have another chapter out! Just when I thought I wouldn't get it out... I amaze myself lol.

So this chapter took a bit of a turn I wasn't expecting. Hopefully everything turns out okay, but we'll see. Also, I hope to make the chapters longer, but for now, the shorter ones are what's coming out.

Let me know what you think!

Not mine. But I would give my left leg for a night with Ranger.

* * *

"Hey Babygirl," I said when I entered Stephanie's office.

Her head popped up quickly. "Grandma! What are you doing here? Does Ma know?"

I rolled my eyes. "Of course she does. Can't I come visit my favorite granddaughter?"

Stephanie's lips twitched and she put down her pen. "So what can I do for you?"

"Well I was in the neighborhood getting my hair done so I thought I'd come in and say hi."

"How is Dotty?"

"Still the biggest gossip in town."

"Glad to see some things never change." She motioned to the chair. "Sit. Then I'll show you around. I need to finish the inventory reports."

I shuffled into the chair and took a look around her office. The room was done in a calming blue tone and the floor and desk were a nice dark cherry wood. Her furniture was made of buttery chocolate brown leather and I sank in deeper. For all I cared, she could work at her desk all day long. "Take your time."

She smiled softly. "Comfy right? The sales guy had to bribe me out of it when I went to pick it out."

"I can see why. You might have to bribe _me_."

Stephanie giggled.

Twenty minutes later, she sighed and sat back. "You're in luck. We got our new shipment in. Connie just put it on the shelf."

"Sounds good to me. Let's go."

The store walls were painted a muted yellow and the hardwood flooring continued from the office. It was a bright, happy store.

"You've done very well for yourself, baby." I said, smiling.

"Thank you. Let me explain the layout. Pajamas and negligees are in the front. Next is wedding lingerie over to the right as well as cotton panties and bras. You can shop for the wedding night and honeymoon days. Comfort over sexy, if you go out."

I nodded. "Interesting idea."

"Lula came up with it."

"Yeah and that's a big if." The woman who I assume was Lula said. She was a big African American woman who was slightly taller than me. She had a bright pink spandex dress with a cream sweater over it. Lula's hair and eyes were chocolate brown, which complemented her skin well. All in all, she was a very pretty girl. "See I figure that you want to look all sexy at night for your hubby to rip off with his teeth. But if you do leave, silky lingerie is not exactly comfortable to do shit in, 'scuse my French. Especially if you go somewhere hot. Not a pretty picture."

"So far it's doing pretty good. Stephanie said. I've had brides come back and thank us. They appreciated the option of the cotton. It breathes better."

"Did you show her the back yet? Granny, you'll get a kick out of this."

I looked at Stephanie and raised my eyebrows. I never could raise just one and it always annoyed me.

"I talk about you." She shrugged.

"A LOT. You and that stick up her ass mother."

"Lula!" Stephanie scolded.

"Huhn." Lula turned to me. "Back's got the sexy shit. Thongs, g-strings, silk bras, demi bras, push up and…" She looked around. "Crotchless panties." She whispered.

I looked over at Stephanie. She was smiling widely. "We call it Helen's corner."

"HA!" I barked. "It's perfect. You're a pip!"

"Victoria's Secret has nothing on my girl." Lula said proudly someone called her name. "Oh shit. Customers."

"Where did you find her?"

"Stark Street. She gave me directions to another storefront I was looking at and we talked bras for a minute." Her face said it all. I connected the dots.

"Was she a prostitute?" I asked, curious.

Stephanie grimaced. "She doesn't like to talk about it. We became friends after that. I guess I looked like a cop, so Benito, her pimp, beat her pretty badly. Thank God someone was driving by…" She paused and looked away. "So when I started making money, I hired her. I figured it was the least I could do."

"You saved her."

"After I put her in that position."

"But you made it right. You helped her get out of that life and gave her a fresh start. If it wasn't for you, she might be dead. That's what she'll remember."

Stephanie nodded. "I hope so. She's been a Godsend."

"Looks like it." I took another look around the store. "I'm so proud."

Her face brightened. "Thanks, Grandma."

Now, we're not a hugging family, but this moment deserved one. I hugged her tightly for a moment, until a screeching pulled us apart.

"Baby!" Lula yelled, jumping into a man's chest.

A man I knew pretty well.

The tall black man. I looked around. No sexy Latino.

My day was turning up.

"Who is that?" I asked.

"Tank, her boyfriend." Her smile became wistful. "I'll always be grateful for him. He saved her."

"He was the one driving by?"

She nodded. "She deserves it after all the crap she's been through."

I could see him clearer now. He stood at six and a half feet with big muscles. I could see why she called him Tank. He was built like one. Not to mention the all black uniform helped him look bigger. "Tank?"

"We assume that's not his real name, but he won't tell us any other name."

"Must be real embarrassing."

We nodded and thought about that.

"What does he do?"

Stephanie shrugged. "Works for a company named Rangeman. That's all he'll tell me."

"He looks like a bodyguard."

"That's what I think. I've only seen him a couple of times, so I don't think he trusts me completely yet. I think that's his military training though." Stephanie's phone went off. "Shoot." She rolled her eyes at me. "Ma…"

I took that chance to pounce. I walked over to where Lula and Tank. "Hello there."

"This here's Stephanie's Granny. This is my man, Tank."

"Hi." He grunted.

"Hello."

"You have a wonderful granddaughter."

"Thank you."

"Yeah, yeah, I see you." Lula said to someone behind me. "Excuse me."

Then it was just me and Tank.

"So… Stephanie says you work for Rangeman. What kind of business is that?"

"All types."

I stared at him for a minute. My eyebrows were raised. He grinned. "I see where she gets her tenacity from."

When he was silent, I pushed on. "Well?"

Lucky for him, his phone vibrated. "Saved by the bell." I joked.

He grinned. "Excuse me, ma'am."

Stephanie came back. "Mom's picking you up in ten minutes."

I looked at my watch. "I have to get home to change for the wake. Stiva's got three good one's today." Bingo is for the old and half dead. Since I am neither, I partake in the honored tradition of mourning the dead. Mostly, I go because all of the best gossip happens there (the widow was pregnant with her dead husband's best friend's baby) and it's a chance to see and be seen.

Stephanie just smiled and shook her head. She avoided funeral homes at all costs. Probably because she was usually the talk of the town. Stephanie was one of the first Burg women to go on after a failed marriage and make it on her own. None of the other women understood it.

At least I now had a plan. I looked over at Tank. He was still on the phone and by the look of it, talking to his boss. I needed more information on that company.

And what does a woman in this day and age use to find information?

I needed a computer.


	3. Chapter 3

Sorry I didn't update sooner. Here's what happened. I actually wanted to write another chapter on Edna's sleuthing. Well, Ranger wasn't pleased about that. He wanted to get some air time (so to speak) as well since everyone else has had some. So he sort of held things hostage. I finally gave in and I was able to write the chapter. Honestly, I think we're all ready for some Ranger action (I'm pretty sure me more than you guys!) and to be honest, I'm actually glad the chapter turned out this way. So thank Ranger!

I just wrote this today, so any errors, I apologize for. I thought you guys waited long enough.

Not mine. I own nothing.

* * *

There wasn't much information on the company. They had a simple website that really didn't give anything away. I searched google extensively for hours. Thankfully my daughter and son-in-law were asleep. I knew Helen would blow a gasket if she knew what I was doing. Even if I was trying to find Stephanie a man, she would never approve of my choice. She would only think whomever she chose would be best.

Clearly she didn't know her own daughter.

Sitting back, I sighed. I knew what I was going to do.

Thank god for .

Smiling to myself, I got ready for bed. Tomorrow was a big day.

* * *

I always enjoyed owning my own business. I got to be my own boss, set my own hours and delegate all the boring work to my employees.

The only downside was the paperwork.

I'd rather get a root canal. Without Novocain.

But here I sit, filling out reports and signing time cards, contemplating the gun in my drawer.

"Come in," I grunted, not taking my eyes off of the paper in front of me. If I did, it would multiply.

Lester came in and sat down. I looked at him for a minute and saw his broad grin. My cousin was up to something. He had dark skin like me and his green eyes from his mother were twinkling. Today, thankfully, he was wearing the appropriate Rangeman uniform of black cargoes and black t-shirt. When he's running late, sometimes he just grabs whatever's closest.

He'll never live down the Jimmy Buffet shirt.

"Your two o'clock appointment is here."

"I don't have any appointments today."

"Well you do now. Binkie set it up."

"Remind me to fire him."

"Dude, come on, he's new. He didn't know."

"If he can't follow orders. And don't call me dude."

He rolled his eyes. "Fine, _I_ approved it."

I looked up. "Fine. I'll fire you too."

"Boy you're grouchy today."

I didn't answer. "Get rid of it."

"Fine. But she'll be very disappointed."

At the pronoun, my head perked up. I sensed a distraction. I would do anything to stop doing paperwork. Unfortunately, my cousin knew that too. "She?"

He grinned. "Mm."

"Hot?"

"Sure."

I raised my eyebrows.

"Come on, you look like you're going to kill everyone in this office. Take the meeting. Hey, she might change your life."

I thought about what he said. "Fine. Bring her in."

"Good choice." Lester said as got up. "You'll be pleased."

My stomach dropped when I heard Lester's boisterous laugh outside my door.

Shit. What have I done?

Five minutes later, Lester came back in with the woman behind him. She was a short, skinny woman who looked between the age of eighty and two hundred. Her hair was curled close to her head and shined silver off the florescent lights. Lester led her in and she sat down in the chair directly across from me.

That was when I saw her piercing blue eyes. It felt like she could see right through me.

She smiled at me and muttered something that sounded like 'yep, he'll do'.

"Thank you, young man." She said, smiling at Lester.

"Oh, it was my pleasure." Lester was grinning back at her. "Have fun." He said to me.

I was going to kill him.

"So, what can I do for you…?"

"Edna Mazur. But you can call me Edna."

"Sure. What can I do for you Edna?"

"Now, now. I gave you my name. What's yours?"

"Ranger Manoso."

"Your mother named you Ranger?"

"Ricardo Carlos. My friends call me Carlos."

"Carlos. I like that. I'm going to call you that."

I opened my mouth to tell her that I preferred Ranger, but she looked like a woman who wasn't told no very often. "Sure."

"So Carlos, I have a granddaughter in need of your services."

"Okay. Where is she?"

"At work."

I raised my eyebrow. "Shouldn't she be here?"

"Stephanie, that's my granddaughter, just opened her own store. She doesn't have time to think of things like this. I think she needs a security system."

"On the store or her residence?"

"Both. With the economy the way it is, I'm worried that she will be taken advantage of. I'd rather she was protected than watch her become another victim." She started rifling through her purse and pulled out a picture. "This is Stephanie."

I politely took the picture and looked at the woman. She was smiling widely at whatever the woman next to her was saying. She wasn't an exotic beauty, but there was something very appealing about her. Stephanie had curly chestnut hair, a straight nose and a full mouth.

As well as the same piercing blue eyes that sat in front of me.

My normal type of woman is the typical male style: blond and big boobs. Stephanie had brown hair and average, but perky breasts. Her hips flared nicely to give her good curves. Porcelain white skin that looked soft to the touch.

She wasn't my type at all.

Yet, I couldn't take my eyes off her.

I looked back at Edna and saw her smiling at me. "She owns the store Pretty Lacy Things that just opened on Broad. It's not in a bad part of town, but I would feel better if she had some protection. And she's renting a house in Hamilton Township."

I nodded. I'd be doing a background check as soon as she left. We talked about security packages and she asked good questions. I could tell she had done her homework.

"I appreciate your time, Carlos." She said when we had agreed on a package shook my hand.

"We'll get started as soon as we can."

"Good. Now, remember, it's for her birthday, so I would like it to be a surprise."

I nodded. "We'll be discreet. Please, let me walk you out."

"Why thank you."

I led her to the elevator and thanked her again. When the doors opened, Binkie was inside looking pale.

"Sir." He said, coming out and stood next to me.

"Wait in my office."

"Yes sir."

Edna was staring at me. "They fear you."

"Fear is good."

"They also respect you. Each person we passed nodded at you. If they didn't respect you, they wouldn't do that."

I nodded. "Respect is good too."

"You're a good boss and a good man. Don't forget that."

"I won't."

We shook hands once more and then she was gone.

I went back to my office. Binkie was standing in front of my desk. He had brown hair cut in a marine buzz and his brown eyes were staring straight ahead. "At ease." I said, pointing to the chair.

He sat. "Sir."

"I'm not going to fire you."

He relaxed. "Thank you."

"I won't fire you this time. It happens again, you will be. I need to know that you can follow orders."

"Yes sir."

"Good. Dismissed."

He scurried out of my office. Lester came back in.

"You didn't fire him."

"No. How did you know?"

"Usually when you fire people, they pee their pants."

It was true. I could be intimidating.

"Well? What did she want?"

"To set up a security system for her granddaughter. She owns a lingerie store."

"Sweet. She hot?"

Hot wasn't the word I'd call her. Beautiful or gorgeous would be closer. Sexy. I shrugged nonchalantly.

"Not even a hint?"

"Nope."

"Dude. That's harsh."

"Dude. Get over it. And get out. I have work."

"Does this mean I'm not fire either?"

"Unfortunately."

"Awesome. Later."

He headed towards the door. "Wait," I said.

"What?"

"I have a new client to search."

"Cool. Name?"

I shook my head and crossed the room to him. "I said _I_ have a new client to search. You," I plopped the heavy stack of paperwork into his arms. "Have paperwork to finish."

"Not cool."

"Consider it punishment."

"Got it." He nodded and left.

I smiled at my clean desk. That was quick and painless. I started towards my computer, but stopped.

The picture of Stephanie was lying on the floor.

Edna must have left it.

I smiled, put it in the top drawer and started the search program. I entered her name.

I had too much work to do to run after Edna, but I felt that this wasn't the last time I'd see her. I knew I'd get it back to her.

Eventually.


	4. Chapter 4

Wow. Sorry. That's all I got. I've been a bad author lately. Here's what happened. For anyone who: 1. Actually reads these and 2. Remembers that Ranger blocked the last chapter, the sort of thing happened again. Instead of just Ranger, however, it was EVERYONE. I felt like I was chairman of the board and every character was yelling at me to tell their story. Jeez. After some yelling of my own (mostly to Joe to shut the hell up), I finally got the chapter out and the way I wanted.

Yay.

I hope I don't as long on the next one. You guys are truly awesome for sticking by me. I hope to have some sort of schedule, but that doesn't seem to be happening. I'll get the next chapter out soon as I can. Promise.

Not mine, but oh, how do I wish I owned Ranger!

* * *

Most days, I feel like I'm banging my head against a brick wall.

Today, however, I settled for banging my head against my desk.

"Jeez, white girl. You're going to give yourself a concussion doing that." Lula said when she stepped into my office. I smelled the coffee before the cup hit my desk. "Here, drink this."

"Thanks." I grabbed the cup and looked at Lula. She was wearing a polka dot dress and a pink sweater over top. Her hair was thankfully still brown and her arms were crossed. "What can I do for you?" I asked, taking a sip.

"Everything okay?"

I blinked once. "Sure. Everything's fine."

"You'd tell me… right? If there was something I needed to know?"

"Of course!" I paused. "Is there something you need to tell me?"

"Nope. Not a thing." Lula replied quickly. I narrowed my eyes.

"Is something on fire?"

"No."

"Someone pregnant?"

Lula snickered. "No."

"Then what?"

She sighed. "Look girl," Lula started as she sat down. "We're worried about you. You've been working so hard lately and you've barely had a day off."

"So? I have a new business. I need to make sure that we stay _in_ business."

"This place is a well oiled machine, my friend. All you can do now is enjoy the ride. You should take a few days off."

I looked down at the order sheet. "I'm fine."

"Are you? What day is it?"

"Thursday."

"Bzz. It's Tuesday."

"Right. That's what I meant." I lied.

"Girl, you need a break."

I sat down my pen. We both knew she was right. I hadn't had a day off since I opened the store seven months ago. I couldn't remember the last time I watched Ghostbusters. Sighing, I looked back at her. "I'll take a few days off soon. I promise."

"You better, girl, or we'll change the locks on you."

I smiled. "How's the floor?"

"Everything is in tip top shape."

"Good."

"You should come out and run the register. Do some mind numbing work for an hour. Relax a little."

I smiled. "You just don't want to do it."

"Sure. That may be the other reason."

"Give me five minutes."

"You're on."

* * *

Five minutes later, I was out among the people. Lula was right. This place was a well oiled machine. Everyone knew their job and the customers seemed really happy.

We were going to make it.

When I graduated from Douglass College, opening the shop was never part of my plan. With a business degree, I could've gone anywhere. And unlike all of the other students in my class, I ended up in Newark selling panties at E.E. Martin.

Until the FBI shut us down for fraud and embezzlement. The CEO and CFO were stealing from the company at the same time.

Go figure.

So I was out of a job and unsure what to do next. I talked to Dickie, who was my husband at the time. Since the job market was in the toilet, I was going to take some time off and become a housewife. He'd support us both working at the law firm.

Well, he decided that. I just agreed.

Two months later, I found him on the table with Joyce and that was that.

Rat fink bastard.

So with half his money, and a nice house in Hamilton Township, I had no idea what to do next. I decided to go back to what I was good at.

Selling panties.

I talked to my father and some of my business friends and sunk some of the money into the business. The other portion I gave to my Wall Street genius friend and she earned me a nice little nest egg in case things go belly up.

But from looking around, I knew that I might never need to use it.

"Man, you've got quite a place here." Joe said, coming up behind me.

I froze. Maybe if I didn't talk to him…

No such luck. He moved so that he was standing in front of me. Drat.

Joe gave me his 'winning' smile (one that just made me want to throw up) and fiddled with the tie on his chest.

Oh lord.

It was grey.

I rolled my eyes at the ploy he was not so subtly hinting at. I read the books like everyone else and sure, they were a good read.

That didn't make me into a submissive like it did to the rest of the population. I still had my standards and all I wanted to do right now was laugh in his face. If he thought he was going to charm me with a tie… he had another thing coming.

"I'm busy, Joe."

"You look like you could use a break."

"I can't take a break, Joe."

"I'm sure the boss wouldn't mind." He smiled again. "I brought you these." He held up a bouquet of flowers.

"Actually, the boss _does_ mind." I sighed. Time to nip this in the bud. "Look, I know what my mother told you but I'm not interested. Thanks, but no thanks."

"Come on, you'll know we'll be good together."

Sigh. "Have I given you any indication that I want to date you? Any at all?"

"Well… no."

"There you go. So stop calling. Stop dropping by my mother's house and just leave me alone."

The smile fell from his face. "Look…"

"No. I will not look. Please leave."

As he huffed out the door, I realized that every eye was on us.

Great.

Lula came over. "Jeez."

A headache started to form in my frontal lobe. "I'm going back to my office, okay?"

"Sure."

* * *

I didn't know why I was here. After three hours of searching, I knew all there was to know about Stephanie Plum. I knew she never left the state except for family vacations. I knew that she sees all her physicians regularly and gave a generous package of insurance to her employees. I knew that her favorite food was Italian and managed to go to Marsillio's at least once a month.

I knew the facts.

But I wanted more.

So here I was. In her little shop.

At least that's what it was on paper. In reality, she had a strong business that would survive even in the terrible economy.

For some reason I couldn't put my finger on, I was proud of her.

Speak of the devil.

Stephanie emerged from her office and she took my breath away. The picture didn't do her justice. Her hair was a shining chestnut halo. Her curvy body was in a dark green sweater and black jeans. Her black heels made her legs longer and sexier. Her big blue eyes popped as she surveyed the room and the knowing smile on her face made my skin tingle at the back of my neck.

The picture made her look ordinary, and she was anything but.

I saw the man come up behind her and I frowned. There was no mention of a boyfriend. If anything, she was married to her job.

I jolted. Why did I care who this man was?

When she pushed him out the door, the man muttered sullenly as he passed me. I grinned, the feeling of pride bubbling back up.

My girl could handle herself.

Wait, my girl?

I shook my head and started to go over when I heard her tell her associate she was going back to her office. From the looks of it, she had the beginnings of a bad headache and wanted to be left alone.

This was not the time to introduce myself. Our meeting would have to wait.

I looked back at Stephanie one last time, I noticed her rub the back of her neck. She turned around and looked around the store. Our eyes briefly met and she gave me a small smile. It lasted a second and then she was gone.

I grinned at her back. When it finally happened, I knew it was going to be good.

* * *

Please review. I'm already working on the next chapter which will definitely have some R/S action that we've been waiting for!


	5. Chapter 5

Okay, so I've been bad. It's been a long time since I updated. Real life has been kicking my ass. I've been working a lot more hours now and I haven't really had time to write a full chapter (let alone a paragraph...). But I got a guest review a few days ago that asked me to 'update now' and they've been waiting 'forever'. It seemed a little anxious, but it actually did the trick. It clicked something in me that allowed me to write this chapter. So guest reviewer, thank you for your review/ command. You truly helped me out of the funk I was in over the next chapter. This chapter is for you Babe (whoever you are)!

Not mine. I just play with them.

* * *

I always considered myself a patient man.

_Cliiick_.

On the other hand…

"Don't. Move." The voice in the dark said. It was low and thick. I could tell I had woke her up from a deep sleep.

There were, however, a few things that I could stand. Having a gun pointed at my boys wasn't one of them. Blinking when the light came on, I raised my hands in a nonthreatening gesture.

Stephanie had turned on the light behind her, making her glow. Her curls were wild, the tank top she wore rode up her stomach so an inch of delicious skin was showing and her shorts were riding high on her thighs.

All the blood in my brain went straight to my groin.

She bit her lip, indecision all over her face. The gun shook a little. Clearly she was comfortable with it, but probably hadn't shot at anything other than the paper man in a range. "What are you doing here?"

I grinned inside. Any sane person would've said that they were going to call the police or shot me on the spot. So of course, she would ask why. Because whatever any normal person would do, Stephanie does the opposite.

"Your grandmother hired me."

The gun lowered a little. "_Hired you_? What are you, a stripper?"

I chuckled. "No. She said that you'd be out for the evening." She called me to let me know this personally. I spent the better part of an hour wondering what she was doing. Was she going on a date with the grey tied bastard? Or was someone else currently warming her bed? I clenched my fist at the thought.

I didn't like that. At all.

So when the gun was pointed at me and believe me, that wasn't a picnic in the park, I felt the relief flow through me. She was home, sleeping.

And since no one had come out to check on her, she was alone.

"And you thought you'd do a little walk through?" The gun came back up to my boys. "_Who are you_?"

I moved my hand and she gripped the gun harder. "Easy. I'm going to reach to my back pocket…" I slowly reached around and pulled out a card. "Ranger Manoso, CEO of Rangeman Securities."

She snorted as she took the card. "Your mother named you Ranger?" She asked as she looked at it.

I grinned. "It's a nickname. Your grandmother said the same thing."

"Grandma Helen?"

"Don't you mean Edna?" The fact that she was testing me made me smile. It was cute.

"Sure. So what did she hire you to do?"

"She wants to set up a security system for your home and store." I looked at the gun she still pointed at me. "But I can't see why you'd need it."

"I don't. I got my trusty gun here."

"I can see that."

"You can go now."

"No can do."

Anger flashed on her face. "What do you mean 'no can do'?" She lowered her voice to mock me.

"I have a signed contract with your grandmother. I'm putting in the system or she pays the penalty fee." I partially lied. Sure there was the contract, but I didn't have her sign the last page with the fee. I liked Edna too much to do that to her. But her granddaughter didn't know that.

And I was ready to do anything to stay in her life. Even tell a little white lie.

"Done. I'll write you a check."

"You can…"

"Good." She started for her purse.

"…But I won't take it."

She stopped. "What?"

"It's part of the contract. The money has to come from her." I was literally making this up as I went along.

"That's ridiculous."

"Them's the breaks, babe."

She sighed morosely. "So I'm stuck with you?"

"Yup."

**Stephanie's POV**

"So I'm taking a day off today." I told Lula when she answered the phone. It was a few hours later after the midnight encounter with the security man. I had showered, dressed, and watched the three men standing in my living room. They were having a serious debate and Ranger had his arms crossed over his broad chest.

If he didn't annoy me, I'd think he was hot. Ranger was the tallest of the three with dark brown hair pulled back into a pony tail. His eyes were as dark as his hair and his skin looked like a well mixed mocha latte. His nose was straight, full lips and a nice body underneath the black uniform he wore.

Even his ears were perfect.

The man to his left was slightly shorter and there was a family resemblance. He had similar features, green eyes, a broken nose, and his skin was lighter. His back was to me and like every other hot blooded woman, I enjoyed the view of his ass. I'm pretty sure I could bounce a quarter off it.

The last was a full head shorter, had clear Latino features and tattoos on his neck, arms and face. My heart stuttered at the sight of the teardrops (I grew up in Trenton… I knew what they meant), but after talking to him for a minute (with Lester translating), I realized he wasn't a bad guy and my mind was at ease.

"He hot?" Lula asked.

I rolled my eyes. "It's more of a _what_ rather than a _who_."

"I don't get it."

"My grandmother bought me a security system. They're putting it in today." I was stuck. There was no way I could get Grandma to take the money for the fine. She was too proud and probably thought of this as a gift.

"Hunh. Is the guy sexy?" She asked again.

Ranger looked up and raised an eyebrow. It was as if he could hear my conversation from across the room.

I turned around. "It's not like that."

"Maybe it should be. When was the last time you had your cookies munched?"

"What?"

"Exactly."

I rolled my eyes again. "Just hold down the fort for me today, please?"

"Sure can do. But we're going out for coffee so I can hear more of this story."

"Fine, but I can tell you now, there's nothing more."

"Yeah, right. Say that again with some conviction next time." And she hung up.

I turned back and Ranger was standing right behind me. "Jesus! Make a noise next time!"

"I didn't want to interrupt you."

I ignored the screaming voice in my head that want to ask how much he had heard. "What do you need?"

He grinned a little. "Hector and Lester are going to start outside. I'm going to put the system in."

"Like an ADT?"

He frowned now. "No. It's much better than that."

"Oh." She shrugged. "Fine."

"So you can go to work."

"And leave you guys roaming my house unwatched? Pff. No thanks."

His face lightened a little. Clearly he approved. My mother didn't raise an idiot. His eyes stayed on mine. "Where do you want me to put it?" He asked, voice low.

Eep.

**Ranger's POV**

"So why Trenton?" She asked a few minutes later. I was setting up the wires for the system. I grinned internally. We made ADT look like pussies. I raised an eyebrow at her.

"How do you know I'm not in Newark?"

"The card. There isn't an address, but you put Trenton, NJ on there."

She was observant. I liked that in a woman. "Why not?"

"I mean, of all the places you could set up shop, you pick Trenton. Why?"

"Why not?" I asked again.

She shrugged. "I'm sure New York has a higher crime rate. You could make more money."

"Sure, but there's more companies competing. Here, I'm the only one."

"Huh."

She was silent for a minute.

"Why security?"

"Are you going to ask questions all day?"

"Probably." She bit her lip. "Well?"

"Because it's what I'm good at."

She waited a minute. "That's it?"

"What more is there?"

"There's got to be a reason."

"Like, I grew up in the projects and my kid sister was gunned down by a gang and since I couldn't get into the police force, I started my own company to protect those who can't help themselves."

She paused. "Really?"

"No."

"Oh. That was a nice story, though."

"I'll keep that in mind." I murmured.

A minute later… "What are you doing now?"

"Do you really want to know?"

"Yes."

I started to tell her about the computer inside the system and the mechanics of it when she raised her hand.

"Stop. Forget it. I don't want to know."

Over my shoulder, I gave her a grin. She crossed her arms over her shoulder and huffed. My eyes strayed from her's to look at the room. It looked comfortable and well lived in. I looked at her bookcase and noticed one of her books and smiled. She looked over, saw what I was looking at and rolled her eyes.

"My sister in California got that from one of her friends as a gag bridal party gift. They got pretty hairclips as well but she thought it was funny. She sent it to me to read it."

"And?" I asked, wondering what she thought of the book. I may not get out much, but I knew all about _Fifty Shades of Grey_.

I even understood the tie the bastard was wearing.

She rolled her eyes again. "It's a book. I read it and enjoyed it, but I don't get why people are going nuts over it."

I grinned at the opportunity to tease her. "You might like being handcuffed. You never know until you try it." I felt a tightening in my lower body of the image of her handcuffed and nude on my bed.

She blushed beautifully. "Maybe. I'll stick to 'vanilla' for now."

Vanilla was plain, missionary sex. I highly doubted any time spent in bed with Stephanie would be considered vanilla. I grinned and went back to work. She was silent for a few more minutes, and then left the room.

Even though she was being a bit of a pain in the ass with her questions, I didn't want her to leave.

"Hey man," Lester said when he came in. "Hector and I finished the perimeter."

I stood up and pushed Stephanie from my mind. "What do you have planned?"

* * *

"Lunch is ready, guys." Stephanie said a few hours later. She had kept to herself in the kitchen as we worked and now I knew why. The table was full of food.

"I didn't know what you guys would eat, so I made a little of everything." She said, looking a little nervous.

"This looks great!" Lester said, grabbing a plate and shoveled food onto it. "Thanks!"

"Si, gracias." Hector said.

Stephanie looked at me. She was a little more confident after the guys started to dig in, but her teeth were still biting her lip. "I figured you guys were hungry and you look like you have a lot more to do."

"Thanks, babe." I said quietly. Not many people would feed us. Some just wanted us out as soon as possible, or we had the other type. The lonely married women who were looking to share our beds. She did this because she thought we were hungry. That's it. No ulterior motive.

And looking at Lester stuff his face, you'd think we hadn't eaten in a few days.

This time, she relaxed completely. She even gave me a little smile.

Watching her dote on my men and give me that small, almost secret, smile, I knew I was a goner.

I was hers.


	6. Chapter 6

Okay. It's decided. I'm quitting my job.

Sorry it took so long for me to update. You know about me working way more hours than I'd feel comfortable with (mostly because it takes away from my napping and writing time...) but now I've started volunteering and have less time. That being said, here are a few things you need to remember.

1. I will update ASAP. I can't promise anything, but I WILL finish this. Promise.

2. I did not write this chapter try to kill you guys. Remember to breathe, read the whole chapter and please don't curse me.

3. Still not mine. If there are mistakes, please chuckle at them and move on.

Please enjoy.

* * *

Looking at the clock on the dash before I got out, I breathed a sigh of relief. I was three minutes early. No guilt for Stephanie tonight!

Chambersburg, or the Burg to people who grew up there, sat on the outside of Trenton. It was a small community with large mouths. If I tripped up the stairs to the door, by tomorrow, the whole neighborhood would think I was an alcoholic. The houses were small and comfortable and the neighbors spent their days mowing the lawn and washing windows. As my mother likes to say, presentation is everything.

I looked up at the house and saw my mother and grandmother were waiting on the other side of the front door, arms crossed over their chests. When you have children in the Burg, you gain a sixth sense. You always know when one of your children is coming over for dinner and when they will arrive.

"Hi, mom. Grandma." I said as I came up the steps. "What's for dinner?"

My mother opened the door. "Spaghetti and meatballs. We have chocolate cake for dessert. Come on in before dinner is ruined."

Grandma and I rolled our eyes at each other.

The house always felt warm and comfortable inside. The furniture is worn and well loved and the air always smells of cookies. My parents and I might not have always gotten along, but they always made sure that we felt loved when we were here.

"Hi daddy." I said as I entered the family room. Dad grunted from the chair. He was watching the division championship baseball game with the focus of a jaguar running after its prey. "Sorry about the Phillies."

He grunted again as I kissed the top of his head. "They wouldn't have made it far anyway." He glanced at me. "You look pretty."

I looked down at the dress shirt and slacks I had put on for work. "I just came from work."

"Sure, but you never go that dressy."

I shrugged. "I like to dress up every once in a while." And it had nothing to with the man that was working in my store. Nope. No way.

"It looks good on you."

"Thanks daddy."

Mom came back into the room. "Dinner's ready."

Dad quickly rose from his chair and headed towards the dining room at a fast pace. Mom rolled her eyes heavenward and followed him.

Grandma stopped me in the hall. "So? How's it going with the Security guy?"

"W- what do you mean?"

"Is he doing a good job setting the system up?"

I breathed a sigh of relief. "Yeah, he's great. Really professional."

"Hmph. Professional is boring, don't you think?"

I rolled my eyes. "He's hired to do a job. How else would he act?"

"I was hoping like a man." Grandma mumbled as she walked away.

Before I could ask her what she meant, the door bell rang. Oh no. Who did my mother invite now? If it's Joe, I'm leaving. Cake be damned.

I opened the door. Thankfully it wasn't Joe. The man was handsome. He was tall, broad, and had blonde hair and green eyes. They were warm and he had an easy smile.

I had no idea who he was.

"Hi Stephanie." The man said.

"Um, hi?"

"Oh there you are! I was getting worried about you!" My mother came up behind me. "Stephanie, move. You remember Mark Lorobowski?"

"Sure." I replied slowly. "We went to high school together." Then it dawned on me. "You had glasses and buck teeth!"

"Yes, but with the wonders of contacts and braces, I got that under control."

"You look hot!"

He grinned. "Thanks, you're looking pretty good yourself."

I smiled back and blushed. Out of the corner of my eye, I saw mom smile. I knew what she was doing, but I couldn't seem to care. At least it wasn't Joe again.

For some odd reason, Ranger popped into my head.

"Come, sit. We were just about to start dinner." My mother said politely. She pointed to the dining room and headed off to the kitchen.

"Sorry about the ambush." Mark said.

"I should be the one who's sorry. Stay away from my Grandma. She's a pincher."

"It's true. I can't help it." Grandma said as she came into the room. "Your mother said there was a hottie in the foyer. I had to see for myself." She looked Mark up and down, frowning.

"Mom said that?"

Grandma kept looking at Mark, frown flat on her face. "No, she said something else, but I thought this was more appropriate."

We stood there in silence.

"Well, I guess we should go eat." Grandma said, not waiting to see if we were following.

I narrowed my eyes. Something was bugging my Granny.

"After you," Mark said.

I guess I'll think about it later.

After dinner, I was standing next to my car with a big bag of leftovers.

"Are you sure you don't want any?" I asked Mark.

He smiled. "I'm sure. You really enjoyed dinner tonight."

I knew that he was talking about the food, but surprise, I actually _did_ have fun. I never have fun, considering my mother wants to marry off to someone. "It's my mother's cooking."

"Eat out a lot?"

"Whenever I can."

He looked down at his shoes for a second and then looked back at me. "Well how about we have dinner out together sometime."

I paused. "Are you asking me out? _After_ having dinner at my parents?"

"Yes."

"Brave man."

He grinned and waited. "Well?"

I bit my lip. I was single. He was single. We had a few things in common. He had survived my family.

But something was stopping me. My mother would approve of him and I had a feeling that we would make a good couple, but…

Sensing my hesitation, Mark went on. "It doesn't have to be anything serious. Just something light and fun. More friends than date."

"No pressure?"

"No pressure."

I bit my lip again. "Okay."

He smiled.

* * *

**Ranger's POV**

"The house is pretty much done except for a few more mechanisms that Hector has to replace and the store needs a few more cameras and the system install, but other than that…" Lester said to me. His eyes drifted briefly to the merchandise hanging daintily behind me.

I glared at him. "Focus, Santos. Or I'm banning you."

"You can't ban me! This is Steph's store and she _likes_ me."

I ignored him. "Finish up at the house so I can do the final run through and then come back here with the smaller cameras. We want to protect the store, not freak everyone out."

"Gotcha." He mock saluted me and was on his way.

I sighed internally. Why did I hire my cousin again?

Stephanie was in her office, working on some paperwork. The store was slowing down and she kept the door open so her friends could come in and chat while making sure everything was status quo. Lula and Connie were both busy at the moment which gave me the perfect view of Stephanie.

Talk about distractions.

She was leaning over some papers, biting her lip. Whenever she did that, a wave of heat rolls through my body. I wanted to bite that lip while I thrust myself…

"_Hola_." Hector said when he came in. He was going to help with the system when I had finished the wiring.

"_Hola. Que pasa?_"

We caught up for a moment, but I tuned him out when a man came into the store. He was tall, blonde and broad with a bouquet of flowers in his hand. His eyes were only for Stephanie.

I felt the pencil in my hand snap when he gave her the flowers.

"_Que?_"

My heart stuttered. "_Nada_." I said. I motioned for him to go on. He continued giving me the update on the system he put in her house. It should be simple enough for her to learn.

I was listening, but my eyes kept going over to Stephanie and _him_. I wanted to punch him. _He_ was making her smile.

_He_ was making her blush.

_He was kissing her._

"_Carlos, no_." Hector was holding me back. Fuck punching him.

_I was going to _kill_ him_.

_She was _mine_!_

He smiled at her one last time and was gone. Stephanie smelled the flowers and took them into her office. She came back out and saw me staring. And grinned.

I raised my eyebrow and steeled my reaction as she walked over to where we were standing. I told Hector to beat it when she became closer.

All of the preparation I had done couldn't prepare me for what she said next.

"Are you going to ask me out, or what?"

* * *

Remember! No cursing! You guys know me well enough that I don't do this to torture you but to motivate me. I'll update as soon as I can!


	7. Chapter 7

Hi. Remember me? Ugh. I suck as an updater right now.

So we all have excuses. RL has been kicking my ass (nothing new there) and I had a busy weekend so sadly no time to update (I went back to see friends from my college). Then, I had something written but... I didn't like it. Thankfully, this version came to me last night and I was able to finish it. So yay! I hope you all enjoy.

I'm going to work better at updating more regularly. I promise. Maybe when I can, I'll jot down something on paper...

The week after next I'll be getting a reprieve from work. I don't know how long it'll last, but at least my hours are less. More time for writing! Yay!

Not mine. Please enjoy Ranger in this chapter... I know I did.

* * *

Now what happened next took me completely by surprise.

But first, I need to go back a few weeks. This story is too good to skip to the end. Trust me.

After dinner at my parents, we set up a date for the following week. My mother was on cloud nine. Grandma, on the other hand, was still a little grouchy, but pleased that I was going out on a date. She told me later that Mark reminded her of Dickie, but if I was happy to go out with him, then she was happy for me.

I hadn't noticed the resemblance. It shocked me enough that I picked up the phone three times to cancel. No way was I going to go out with a Dickie clone. Just the thought of it makes me shiver.

The ratfink bastard

But I digress. Something always stopped me. Maybe it was the constant calls from my mother pleading me to not die alone. Lula and Connie took my cell away from me. They thought it was a good idea to go out with him. I needed to get out of the rut I was in.

Lula actually said something else… but since it's Lula… It's already obvious.

Or maybe it was because I knew that it wasn't right. That I was waiting for someone else.

But that theory was dismissed in the next breath. For the most part.

So I kept the date and had a really great time. He took me to a little hole in a wall Italian place and we talked about everything under the sun. Books, movies, tv shows, politics; you name it, we talked about it. I hadn't had this much in common with another person since Mary Lou, my best friend.

Unfortunately, things went slowly downhill from there.

"Good morning." I said to Lula when I entered the store.

"So what happened?" Lula asked, ambushing me. She dropped the last pair of panties onto the pile.

"I said good morning." I paused and waited. Manners were not going to get past me. Plus it tickled me to watch her struggle with anticipation.

She sighed and rolled her eyes. "Good morning. Well?"

"I designed our catalog for next season. What do you think?"

"Whoops."

"He was a nice guy, just no spark." I bit my lip. I started to fiddle with the rack of bras on my left.

"Uh oh. You're doing that thing again. When you bite your lip it means you're leaving something out."

Damn lip. "Nope. Not me."

"What did you do?"

"I may have… brought up Ranger."

"You did what?"

"He was asking me about them and what they were doing there and I _may_ have told a few stories."

"A few?"

"Six?

"Jeez, white girl. I knew you liked him, but I never knew it was _that_ serious."

I moved on to a different rack. "What? I don't like him."

Lula followed me. "Uh huh. And I'm a size six."

I had no response for that. I started to walk back to my office and Lula followed me. "So what are you going to do?"

"About what?"

"About Ranger! That man looks at you like you're lunch."

"Nothing."

"Nothing?"

I shrugged. "He works for me. I don't want to miss business with pleasure."

"Damn girl, that's half the fun! I should know."

"You were a hooker. That was your job."

"True enough." She paused. "Well?"

"No."

"Come on girl, you need to get relaxed."

"I am relaxed."

"No no. You're not. The only way you need to get relaxed is to remove that stick from your ass and put it in your…"

"Hey!"

"I'm just saying."

"Well say it somewhere else."

"Think about it? Please?"

"Fine. Shoo."

Thankfully she left.

Life went on as normal and the attraction I was feeling towards Ranger continued to grow. He and his crew gave me updates every day and it was getting harder to focus on the task at hand.

I spent twenty minutes thinking about how Ranger would taste with chocolate sauce on him.

After shaking my head free of that dream (and boy was it hard!), I saw Mark entering the shop.

I got up from my desk and went over to him. "What are you doing here?"

"Lula said I needed to see you and to bring flowers." He kissed me on the cheek. "You look good."

"Thanks. You too." I glared over at Lula. I knew what she was doing! She was using Mark to Ranger to react since I was being a chicken.

And let's face it, I was.

He pointed behind the flowers. "So, is that him?"

I looked over. Ranger looked like he was going to murder someone. "Yep."

"Oh yeah. He's interested."

"What?"

"Lula seemed to think that you were nervous he'd turn you down because he wasn't into you. Considering he's looking at me like he wants to kill me for kissing your cheek, he's interested."

Surprised by that statement, I led him into the office. We talked for a few more minutes and he left to go back to work. He assured me that my affections were returned and I let the nervousness felt away. I felt more myself. The job was almost done and someone from his company would be taking over for him, so the professional thing was no longer an issue.

And there was no harm in trying, right?

Right.

So I tried. I shocked the hell out of him.

"What?" He asked.

"You heard me. I asked you out."

He grinned. "I know. I just wanted to see if you'd say it again."

"Ass!" She paused. "Well?"

He opened his mouth and before he could answer, one of my better customers came over. "Carlos!" She said, squealing in delight. She tottered over in her blood red high heeled shoes.

Marcia Ovriella was half my weight and twice my bra size (even though everyone knew they weren't real). She had died her hair blonde and wore something that resembled a black mini dress, only it covered about half of that.

Completely his type if his eyes were anything to go on. His eyes darkened in lust. She even called him _Carlos_. I guess he saved that for the special women in his life. My stomach dropped. He never wanted me to call him Carlos.

"Hi Marcia." He replied.

"You never called after." She pouted.

Everyone has a sense of fight or flight. Usually I like to fight for what's mine.

But right now, my brain was telling me to run. There was no way I was going to stick around to hear about their sex life.

So I ran.

"Stupid, stupid, stupid." I said banging my head on the wall. Of course he probably had _tons_ of women chasing after him. He was probably working for a way to let me down easy. Clearly I wasn't in his league. I felt anger and sadness at that thought. I really believed…

Suddenly the door banged open. Ranger came pounding in. He backed me onto my desk and got right in my face.

For a second, I thought he was going to kiss me.

"W… What?"

"You didn't let me answer."

"I thought it was pretty obvious that…"

He cupped my cheeks and forced me to look at him. "Nothing happened with Marcia. Her _husband_ offered me a job installing security. She thought she'd get me to do some work for her too, if you know what I mean, but I don't go after unavailable women."

"Oh." I breathed.

"Can I answer now?"

"Yeah."

"How about tomorrow night at seven? I'll pick you up at your house."

I nodded. I could barely speak yet.

He smiled and moved closer. "I know how much you want me to kiss you. But I'm not going to. We're going to do this right and it's going to be good."

And then he was gone.


	8. Chapter 8

Yay! It was only a week this time! I'm getting better.

So it's my birthday and this is my gift to you. You can return the gift by reviewing. That would be better than Ranger dipped in chocolate... Okay, lets face it. Nothing's better than Ranger in chocolate... so it's a VERY close second.

But if you happen to see Ranger and chocolate... Send him my way.

Not mine. I just write it like I see it.

* * *

Lula came into my office a few minutes later. She was wearing a blinding pink spandex dress and five inch heels. "Holy cow," she said. "That man walked out of here like he just won the lottery! What did you two do? Did you guys bump uglies?"

"Ew! No! He was only in here for five minutes. We didn't have enough time." I shook my head to get rid of the cobwebs and the mental image of Ranger naked.

She scoffed and rolled her eyes. "Girl, please. One time, a guy got me off in less than three minutes. With your dry spell, you should definitely beat my record."

I sighed and rolled my eyes this time. Sometimes Lula could be a tad overdramatic. Now that my brain was finally working again, I moved behind my desk and started moving papers.

"Hello!" She said, leaning over my desk and getting in my face. "What happened?"

I looked up from my spreadsheet and was surprised at the amount of cleavage in front of me. It's a miracle her dress isn't popping off of her. "We're going out tomorrow night." I said, grinning.

"Holy crap. I think I just wet my pants." She paused.

I was surprised. I had never seen her stunned silent.

"CONNIE!" Lula yelled.

And… She's back.

Connie showed up a few moments later She looked like a mix of Betty Boop and Minnie Mouse today; big hair and a red polka dotted dress. "Jesus! I thought you were on fire!" Putting a hand on her hip and looked at us. "What's going on?"

Lula pointed a finger at me. "Our girl Steph here has a date with that hottie Ranger."

"Holy cats." Connie sat down in the other club chair. "When?"

"Tomorrow night."

"Wow." She got a dazed look in her eyes. "_Wow_."

"What are you going to wear?" Lula asked, taking over for Connie until she recovered.

I shrugged. "One of my dresses, I guess."

"Nuh huh. This here is a hot date. You need a hot dress. Now, I'm sorry to say this, but your dresses are not hot enough for this date."

"Hey!"

"Don't get me wrong, white girl. They make you look good. You need to look _good_."

I just rolled my eyes.

"You'll be taking the afternoon off to get ready. I have a feeling you'll need all the help you can get."

"Hey!"

"I'll call Magda." Connie said.

Uh oh. That didn't sound good. "Who's that?"

"She's great. She's my…_hair removal specialist_. She does a great Brazilian."

"I don't need a Brazilian!"

Lula raised her eyebrows. "Really? When was the last time you got laid?"

I thought about it and put my head in my hands. "Make the appointment."

"Good girl."

Connie returned a few moments later. "She can squeeze you in at 2. It'll have to be a straight wax. She's booked solid and doing me a favor. So no fancy stuff."

I didn't know what to say to that. So I just smiled and nodded.

"Good, that'll give her enough time to go to the mall. Macy's is having a big sale. I'll go with you and we'll get you a dress that he won't be able to resist you in."

"Don't you work tomorrow?" I asked.

"Nope. Only in the morning. I have a half day tomorrow."

"Uh huh."

"Would I lie?"

"Yes!"

"Hunh. We're helping you out and this is the thanks that I get?"

"I don't need your help!"

"Yeah, well when his jaw drops tomorrow, let's see who you'll be thanking."

She had a point. "Fine."

"Sweet. Pick me up at three."

"Okay."

* * *

**Ranger's POV**

"Do you know what you're doing?" Tank asked, his arms crossed over his chest. "She's not one of your normal women. She's a good one."

"I know that."

"You can't just throw her out when you're done."

"Got it. Why are you being so protective?"

"Because she's Lula's best friend. Whoever hers her, hurts me."

I looked at my best friend. "You've got it bad."

He stared at me. "And you've got it bad for Stephanie."

I looked back down at the work on my desk. "No."

"Yes you do. Usually you've slept with the woman and moved on by now. But you're still chasing her."

"So?"

"_So_ you liked this one." He grinned now. "She's good for you."

I just rolled my eyes. "I'm late for a meeting."

"Who are you seeing?"

I walked past him. "A man about some flowers."

Taking the elevator down to the garage, I beeped my Turbo open. The purr made me smile. Stephanie would love this car. I think I'd pick her up in this.

Twenty minutes later, I arrived at the café. Setting into the back, I waited for my companion.

Tank was right. There was something different about Stephanie. After a few days, the woman usually caves and we have sex.

And then I lose interest.

But not with Stephanie.

I've tried just about every trick in my book and _nothing_. She continues on with her day as if I didn't try to pick her up. It was infuriating.

It was sexy.

I found it surprising that I wanted to take it slow with her. I didn't want to jump right into bed with her. I wanted to make sure she was properly wooed.

And then I get her under me and make her beg for release.

I grinned, thinking about her naked when my companion showed.

"Thanks for meeting me." I said.

"Sure." Mark said, sitting down. His blonde hair gleamed like the white shirt under the florescence. "What can I do for you?"

I had never done this before. I was acting like a jealous lover, making sure the competition was out of the way. If I didn't know any better, I'd say I was a completely different person.

Tank and Lester would mock me to no end if they knew what I was doing.

Mark grinned at my pause. "I think I know what this is about. You want to know if there is anything going on between me and Stephanie."

The man was good. "Yes."

"No."

"No?"

"There's nothing going on. I prefer the women I date to be interested in me. She told stories about you and she had this glow. She'd never glow like that for me. We're better off as friends."

"Good. I asked her out."

"I would've punched you if you hadn't."

I grinned. I could learn to like him. "Do you want to order?"

He picked up a menu. "What's good here?"

* * *

The next night, I was pacing my office.

"Dude, chill." Lester said. He was sitting in my club seat, watching me pace. I glared at him.

"Holy shit. You're nervous." He looked shocked. "I don't remember the last time I saw you this nervous."

I couldn't either. Looking at my watch, my stomach dropped. It was time.

He came up and stopped me. "She's not going to cancel."

I sighed. I was acting like a teenager going out on my first date.

Surprisingly, it was my first since high school.

And that hadn't ended well. Juvie or the army.

"I talked to Connie. She's excited for this. Don't worry."

I breathed a sigh of relief. I was overreacting. I needed to find my balls again.

"There's my man." Lester said, smiling. "Glad to see you still have gonads. I thought you became a woman there for a second."

"Shut up. I'm _fine_."

"Are you sure? Do you want a tampon for your purse?"

Then I punched him.

Man, that felt good.

I took the Turbo and drove to Stephanie's house. Taking one more big breath, I knocked.

The woman who answered the door wasn't Stephanie.

It was an angel.

Her hair was curly and tousled, like she had just rolled out of bed. Her face had minimal make-up, but it accented her big blue eyes and wide mouth. The silver dress made her eyes pop even more and hugged every curve perfectly and fell to her knees. The three inch black shoes made my mouth water.

I wanted to shove her back in, strip her, and show her exactly what 'fuck me pumps' they really were. My cock got heavy with arousal.

"Babe."

She looked a little nervous. "Do I look okay?"

"You look… fantastic."

She smiled a blinding smile. "Thank you. You clean up well too."

"Ready?"

She reached behind her for a purse and I saw _her_ behind. I groaned inwardly.

"Ready." She said when she turned back around.

* * *

**Stephanie's POV**

"I love this car." I said, sliding into the Turbo.

Ranger grinned. "I had a feeling."

I shivered as he started the car. His grin grew.

"Wh… Where are we going?" I asked, changing the subject.

"I know a little Cuban restaurant. Is that okay?"

"Sounds good."

I couldn't look at him. He was distracting enough in the Rangeman uniform.

But in a suit?

I had a feeling I'd need to remind myself to breathe.

We pulled into the restaurant parking lot twenty minutes later. Ranger parked the car and got out.

He said, ducking his head. "Wait here."

"What?" I asked the closing door.

Confused, I watched him walk around the car. Then, he opened my door.

I was stunned silent. He grinned and held out his hand.

"Thank you," I breathed when I was upright.

Now he looked confused. "Don't men open doors for you?"

"Not usually."

He frowned now. "Well I'll make up for that." He tucked my hand in the crook of his arm. I smiled when he turned his back. He led me into the restaurant. It was warmly decorated with red walls and wood floors. There was a Cuban band playing and a few couples dancing. The tables had candles, giving the place a very romantic feel.

"Two, Manoso." Ranger said to the hostess.

She blinked, nodded and grabbed two menus. "Enjoy," she stammered out.

I smiled. "You have that affect on women."

"What?"

"You make them walk into walls."

He grinned. "Do _I_ make you feel like that?"

"No." Yes.

His grin widened. "Liar."

"So why do you have people call you Ranger? Why not Carlos?" I was thinking about Marcia again and I gripped my fork.

"It keeps people from getting too personal in my business. I like having a line."

"So you only let special people call you Carlos."

His eyes darkened. "Yes."

"Ah." I lowered my eyes to a napkin.

Ranger grabbed my hand. "Marcia's husband was throwing us too much money. If I told her to stop, she would've made him fire us. We needed the money to start up. I never wanted her to call me Carlos." He made me look at him. "You, on the other hand, I _want_ you to call me Carlos. I like the way it sounds."

I smiled and bit my lip. "Fine. But after we order, you take me onto that dance floor."

"Deal."

This was going to be a great date.


	9. Chapter 9

So I wanted to get this out last week, but RL got in the way (my friend was having Thanksgiving on Friday and I had to work, then trek out there). I had too much free time and writer's block struck. Bad. I'd have a partial chapter written, feel good about it, then decide I didn't like it when I went to bed. And then I'd repeat the following day.

See the pattern? Yikes.

Thankfully, I worked through it. I wasn't getting off my computer until I finished.

I appreciated all the birthday wishes (they made me smile)! and I wanted to make the next chapter good. You guys wanted to see them dancing and I think I did pretty well with that. I worked long and hard on this chapter and I actually really like it. I hope you guys do too. And since you guys were so patient, I extended it past what I originally planned. Enjoy!

Not mine.

* * *

Carlos picked up his menu and started looking it over. I, on the other hand, took in more of the atmosphere. I could taste the aroma of food and romance on my tongue. The band played lowly in the background now that everyone was eating or getting ready to eat. A few more couples had entered the restaurant since we sat down. One couple was like us, on a first date and the other two looked like they were in love. They probably came back every year on their anniversary.

"That was a pretty big sigh I just heard." Carlos said, looking over his menu at me.

"Just thinking."

"Care to share?"

I shook my head, erasing the thoughts. The one thing my mother taught me was not to scare off potential husbands. Considering how well I did with my first, I was going to take it slow with Carlos. I liked him and I didn't want to scare him away. "There's so much to choose from on the menu. I don't know what to pick."

Wait. Did I just think _Carlos_ and _husband _in the same thought? Oh jeez. I've gone off the deep end. No way was I ready for that yet. Neither of us was.

Besides, slow and steady was _way_ more fun.

He stared at me for a moment, then gave me a few suggestions. I bit my lip and weighed my options.

"Hi, my name is Lucinda, and I'll be your waitress. What can I get _you_?" She asked the question specifically to Carlos, hoping that he would ask me to leave and use her as his personal plate. I snorted at the thought. Carlos caught my eye and I could see he was thinking the same thing and gave me a little smirk. Turning back to Lucinda, he gave her our order. I was shocked! It was a lot of food and all the things I was trying to decide from! What was he doing?

"I'd like a Corona to drink." He finished.

"And for your sister?"

Now I snorted out loud. Sister? Really? Did my skin color darken in the last five minutes?

Carlos looked at me. He had laugh lines crinkling around his eyes. "Babe?" He asked, caressing my hand in a very _un_sister-like way.

"Same for me. And a glass of water." I replied, shivering at his touch.

Lucinda frowned, but flounced away. Most guys would be looking at her backside while she did that.

But not Carlos.

His eyes were still on me.

Be still my heart.

"This way you can try everything. You don't mind sharing with me, do you?" He asked, his eyes dark.

"Not at all. Sharing is more fun."

He grinned. "I believe I have a deal to collect on." He said, standing and holding out his hand. I smiled and put my hand in his.

According to the Burg, dancing was the best way to find out how a man acted in bed. I thought this was hooey until I danced with Dickie at our wedding. He was awkward, out of sync and only interested in getting it over as fast as possible.

Dickie as a lover to a T.

So I didn't have much hope that this would be any different. I figured he was all talk and swagger with absolutely no follow through.

Oh how wrong I was.

Carlos pulled me in close and wrapped his arms tightly around me. His movements were fluid and in sync with mine. He took my left hand and moved it to his neck, leaving _his_ hand free to caress my bare back. I shivered again and felt him smile in my hair.

"Cold?"

"Not really." In fact, I was boiling hot.

His grin widened. "Good." His right hand, which was resting on my back, pulled me in tighter. The thumb caressed my lower back.

By then, Dickie would have copped a feel. I waited for his hand to lower, but it never did.

Not in the three songs we danced to.

I sighed and rested my head on his shoulder.

"What?" He asked, sensing my unease.

"I've never been more depressed to see a plate of food in my life." I sighed.

He chuckled now. "Me either."

"I don't want to let go." I whispered to myself.

"Me either." Carlos whispered in my ear.

Reluctantly though, he let me go. My hear lifted when he kept my hand and kissed my fingers.

"How did you learn to dance so well?" I asked him when we began to dig in to our food.

"I grew up with four sisters in a Latino home. They made sure I knew how to sweep a woman off her feet."

"Mission accomplished."

He looked curious now. "Your other partners weren't good dancers?"

"I've only had one other partner and he sucked. My ex-husband."

"How long were you married?"

"About eight months."

"What happened?"

"I caught him doing the horizontal mambo with someone else. On my dining room table."

"Yikes."

I shrugged. "He lived up to his name. Dickie was a dick."

Carlos snorted into his beer. "He called himself _Dickie_? On purpose?"

I giggled and nodded.

"Well that explains it. The man clearly had masculinity problems."

"Says the man named _Carlos_?"

He frowned. "So?"

"Nothing's sexier than that name."

Now he grinned. "Good to know, Babe."

Jeez. He was going to kill me. "What about you? Ever been married?"

"Once. About ten years ago."

Now I was floored. A woman _willingly_ separated from this man? "And…?" I asked, rolling my hand for him to continue.

"And… I was on leave one night, saw Rachel. We got too drunk and I got her pregnant. I married her for the baby and when she wanted to remarry, we got divorced."

"What about the baby?"

"Julie is ten and I don't see her very often." He looked down at his beer. "I send gifts and she initiates contact when she wants it. Ron, Rachel's second husband, is her legal father. I let him adopt her when they got married. I was in no position to fight for custody. I was barely in the country as it is and she needed two parents, not one full time and another that came and went when the army needed him."

"But you're still her _father_."

"Not really."

"Yes really." I grabbed his hand. "You're part of her and she's part of you. Right now, she's too little to see that you did the right thing for her, giving her a family. When she's older, I'm sure she'll thank you for it. You gave her a life that she wouldn't have had if you hadn't let her go. _That's_ what makes you her father."

He just stared at me for a moment. "I've never told anyone about her. My family and Tank know, but that's it."

"It's just between you and me."

His thumb caressed my hand. "Thank you."

"How is everything?" Lucinda asked. Jeez. She had unbuttoned her blouse and added another swipe of mascara.

Carlos didn't bat an eye or look up. He just stared at me. "We're great."

Triumph covered my face as she pouted and slinked away. Carlos grinned. "Babe."

"What? She was acting like a big 'ho."

"Sure, but you're the most beautiful thing in the room. Why would I look anywhere else?"

My heart stopped. Jeez. He _is_ going to kill me.

* * *

**Carlos's POV**

"I had a really great time." Stephanie said, when I dropped her off.

After the deep talk we had about my daughter, I was pulling out all the stops.

Jeez, I was even walking her to her door. The wind had picked up. I, being the gentleman that I was, gave her my coat. As a gust of wind blew by us, she tugged it tighter.

Lucky coat.

"Me too." I replied, smiling at her.

Honestly, it was the best date I'd _ever_ had. She was funny, sweet and one _hell_ of a dancer. I never wanted the night to end.

"Do you want to come in for coffee?" She asked, looking at her keys.

I smiled. She was nervous. I could see the blush creeping up her neck. This was new. We both knew she wasn't talking about coffee, but she was embarrassed to ask about it. Usually women are jumping me, begging me to fuck them.

Unsurprisingly, I liked my blushing Babe better.

"I can't." I said. Having sex with her right now, would really cramp my wooing.

"Oh. Okay." Now she was avoiding my eyes.

Damn. My fist clenched. After we talked about Julie, she told me about the argument she had with Dickie before he left. He told her that she was a complete ice queen in bed, which was why he had to cheat. Even though this smart, sexy, funny woman was full of confidence, that remark was going to follow her around until someone proved him wrong.

And I was going to do that.

Just not tonight.

I cupped her chin and did the next best thing.

It was going to be an innocent kiss, something that would remind her that I was very interested without going too far.

And then our lips met.

I was on fire.

Stephanie tasted like chocolate, limes, and something uniquely Stephanie. Her lips were soft and supple, just waiting to be kissed. At first, she was stiff, but after a few moments, Steph melted into my embrace. I licked her lips. She gasped and my tongue surged in. The taste of her was more intoxicating as I teased her tongue. It stayed motionless for a second, and as the kiss deepened, her confidence surged.

Her tongue barreled into my mouth. She moaned at what she found, making me instantly hard again. I had never known food to be orgasmic until Stephanie; she moaned her way through every bite she ate. It was a small miracle that I didn't explode in my pants.

I pushed her back into her door and my mind shut off. All I wanted to do was get inside her house, find the nearest flat surface, push her dress up to her hips and get inside _her_.

Thankfully, my brain stopped me. _What about wooing her? You want to treat her like one of your regular fucks?_

No. She was better than that.

I pulled my mouth away from hers. We gasped in sync, air flooding our bodies again. Stephanie's eyes were glassy; her lips looked bee stung and hung open. They begged to be kissed again.

But I couldn't. I wasn't going to stop next time.

"God knows I want your _coffee_, Babe." I said, grinding myself into her hip. She gasped and moaned. "Just not tonight. Waiting will make it that much better."

"Okay."

"I'll call you tomorrow."

"Okay."

I grinned. "Is that all you can say?"

"Yep."

I kissed her chastely on the cheek. "Sleep tight, Babe. Dream of me."

"Unavoidable."

I chuckled now. She talked out loud the more flustered she was. Good to know. I let her go and she stumbled inside.

Yes, I had a feeling that Stephanie Plum was going to be worth the wait and just as delicious as her name.

Until then, my cold shower was going to be my best friend.

* * *

**Stephanie's POV**

Wow.

_Wow._

_ WOW._

The date with Carlos was better than I had expected. He took my high standards and blew them out of the water.

And we hadn't even had sex yet.

I groaned and sat down on my couch. My breasts, belly, thighs and places in between tingled at the thought. He was going to be magic in bed.

Jeez. I was getting hot again. I looked down at myself. "Shit." I muttered. I was still wearing his coat.

I pulled out my phone and texted him. _You forgot your coat._ I sent.

Maybe he would come back personally and get his coat. Maybe I should change into something more comfortable and he can finish what he started. Then I could invite him in and…

My phone beeped. _Keep it. I'll get it from you the next time I see you. I love the thought of you still wearing my coat._

I was disappointed that he wasn't coming over, but the possibility of another date and the fact that he was thinking of me more than made up for that.

I sent, _come and get it whenever you want_.

_Is that an open invitation for anything I want?_

Maybe it was the beer I had with dinner that was making me brazen. It's the only reason I could come up with for the text I sent back. _Anytime. Anywhere._

_ Jesus, Babe. I'm driving. You can kill a man with that kind of imagery._

_ Sorry._

_ Liar._

I sent just a smiley face. He was right. I wasn't sorry.

Reliving the date, I sighed with pleasure. No man had ever opened up to me like he did tonight. The hot and steamy end we had may have been fantastic, but talking was my favorite part.

I didn't want the date to end and I felt he didn't either. I wanted to know him on every level and when he said no, it cut me down a little. I hadn't had a lover since I divorced Dickie. I wasn't interested in another man telling me I was an ice queen, but for some reason, I felt safe with Carlos. When he said no, I thought I might have misjudged the attraction.

Then he kissed me.

I shivered at the thought of him being pressed against me. He felt larger than any man I'd ever had. All doubt flew out of my mind.

That man wanted me.

I'd follow his time table for now, but until he made love to me, I had a feeling I was going to put my shower massager to work.


	10. Chapter 10

Hi. Sorry. Yep, that's all I got.

So RL has once again been a pain. Between fighting writer's block for this and my letter of intent for graduate schools (as well as _picking _the schools plus getting the paperwork), work, volunteering, reading and Thanksgiving, I've been trying to get _something _out, but it was like pulling teeth. I hope you guys think this was worth the wait.

Not mine. I just write it like I see it.

* * *

"Well? Is it big? I always thought he'd be huge. Is he huge?" Lula asked me when I walked up to the door the next morning.

I pulled my keys from my purse. "Good morning to you too."

"Hi. It's a wonderful morning. So?"

"What has gotten into you lately?" I asked her. Lula was more feisty than normal.

"I'm just excited. It's nice going out and dating."

I turned to her. "You date all the time!"

"I know that, skinny white girl. I'm talking about _you_. Do you remember the last time you went out on a date and actually _enjoyed _yourself?"

"Mark, a few weeks ago."

"As more than just a friend?"

I bit my lip. It was probably Dickie before we got married.

"Uh huh. That's what I thought. This here is an exciting moment. You finally finding a man that you got _sparks_ with. So now you can tell me all the details. And if he has a teeny weenie… You can skip over that part."

I just shrugged my shoulders and pushed the door in. "Don't know."

She stared at me. "What do you mean you _don't know_?"

"We didn't have sex last night."

"You didn't have sex?"

"Are you going to repeat everything I say today?"

"Possibly. Why didn't you have sex with the man? He is seriously hot!"

"Gee. I hadn't noticed." I rolled my eyes and continued to my office.

"Besides, you're smiling like a woman who was thoroughly relaxed last night."

"He didn't even come in last night." I said, grabbing last night's papers and heading into my office.

Lula followed me in. "So tell me the story! I have a feeling this was going to be good."

Sitting behind my desk, I smiled once and told her the whole story. Lula sat there and stared off into space.

"Holy shit. I think I just wet my pants."

I wrinkled my nose. "If you did, you're buying me a new chair."

"That man is going to woo you. He is going to _woo_ you." Lula started to fan herself. "I don't believe it."

I didn't really believe it either. Most of the men I've dated would have jumped at the chance to come inside my house. Carlos, on the other hand, gave me a great kiss goodnight and left me tingling all over. I couldn't help but grin at every cup of coffee.

"This is so much better than getting some on the first date. No man has ever wooed me."

"What about Tank?"

"Please, that man knows more about being a dentist."

Somehow that made me sad. Every woman deserved to be wooed by their potential boyfriend. I frowned.

"Hey, none of that. I love my Tankie any way he comes. He saved me from death. That's all the wooing I needed."

She had a point. He did something for her that would put any wooing another man would've done. He saved her from a mad man and a life that has a short lifespan.

Still, I think we were going to have a talk about his wooing skills.

Connie came in a few minutes later. "So? How did it go? Is it huge?"

I rolled my eyes as Lula told her the story.

"Wow." She said, sitting down.

"You're not going to wet yourself too, are you?"

"Jeez. No."

"Okay, now that I have divulged every aspect of my love life, can we please get back to work?"

Lula and Connie shrugged but left. The opened the store and I worked on paperwork.

Who got the better deal on this one?

A few hours later, I was ready to shoot myself. Connie came in.

"This came for you." She held out a package. It was tiny and wasn't from my supplier.

There wasn't even a return address. I raised an eyebrow.

"It came by messenger. He was hot too. And dressed in black."

I grinned. I knew of one company that wore all black.

Rangeman.

I tore into the package.

"What is it?" She asked. "And can I keep the messenger?"

"Whatever." I replied. When I opened the box, I barked out a laugh.

"What?" Lula asked when she came in.

Nestled in the tissue paper was a bag of Cuban coffee. I picked up the card. _For after coffee…_

"I don't get it." Lula said. "_After_ coffee? That _is_ coffee!"

I smiled a secret smile. "Leave." Picking up my cell, I chuckled again. They gave me one last look and shut the door.

"Yo." Carlos said when he answered.

"Yo yourself. It seems I got a strange present today."

"Yeah?"

"Yep. But whoever will I share it with?"

"Whoever you think is worthy enough of your coffee."

"Maybe I should call Mark..."

"Babe." He growled. With one word he was able to say, _you better not share your coffee with anyone but me_. I shivered. We were nowhere near the boyfriend/ girlfriend stage, but with that word, he marked me as his.

And I wasn't complaining.

"I love it. Thank you." I murmured.

"You're welcome." His voice softened. "So how are you?"

I talked about the boring morning I had doing paperwork. Carlos was sympathetic. He had his own paperwork to deal with. He also told me about the skip they brought in. Along with the security side of his business, Rangeman had a contract with a few bail bonds companies to pick up FTA's, or failure to appears. After being arrested, a bail bondsman goes and bails them out. If they miss their court date, the bondsman sends Carlos and his team to find them.

They can run, but they can't hide from Carlos and his team.

We talked for a few more minutes until Carlos had to go into his meeting. I could hear Lester laughing in the background. Carlos didn't want to get off the phone with me.

Frankly, neither did I.

"Dinner tomorrow?" He asked before I hung up.

"Pick me up at six."

"Later, Babe." And he hung up.

* * *

"Carlos? Carlos, are you even listening to me?" A distant voice said to me.

"Don't bother him. He's just thinking about his _girlfriend_." Lester mocked.

"Girlfriend? Who is she?"

I sighed and rolled my eyes. Leave it to Lester to embarrass me and throw me into the fire in one swoop. "She's nobody." I lied.

My mother put her hands on her hips. "You're lying to me. You've got the same look in your eye when you told me that you didn't have sex with that girl in your car."

"That's because her panties were sticking out of his pocket!" Lester chortled.

"Who is she?"

Everyone at the table turned to look at me.

I was going to kill Lester.

It was the first time in five years that I was able to go to my parent's house for Thanksgiving. Sometimes I was out of the country, other times I was hiding behind whatever excuse my mother would take.

This year, she didn't let me get away with it. She even conned me in to bringing a pie.

Every year my mother combines traditional Thanksgiving food with traditional Cuban food. My sisters, brother and any family that was still in the area were invited to share dinner with us. The place was usually a mad house with kids screaming and running around.

And all I could think about was how Stephanie would _love_ this.

"She's just a girl I've seen once or twice. It's nothing serious yet."

Mama stared at me. "I still think you're lying. You have the same smirk on your face that you had when you came in with the panties in your pocket."

"Did you sleep with her already?" Marta, my sister asked.

"No."

"Good. No need for you go rutting around with this girl and getting another one pregnant." Mama made the sign of the cross. "Not that I don't love Julie. I do."

I may not see her very often, but I always make sure she stops by to see her family. My mother would nag me until the next time she came anyway, so this way I save the nagging and she sees her grandparents.

"So what's she like anyway?" Celia, the oldest, asked.

Stephanie was pure perfection. Just thinking about her on our first date causes my loins to stir. Now _that_ I wasn't going to tell my family. Cornered, I told them as little as possible.

"She sounds delightful. When do I get to meet her?"

I paled. No way was Stephanie going to be subjected to my family this early. We hadn't even talked about not seeing other people yet!

I grinned. Talking to her today was the highlight of my day. The minute I saw her number pop up, I grinned. I thought Lester was going to fall off his chair. Hearing her happy over my gift sent me to cloud nine. Most men send flowers, but I figured Stephanie would prefer the coffee. It was more personal than flowers.

Maybe I'll send her some tomorrow…

"Hello! Earth to Carlos!" Celia said. "He's got that grin again."

"Sorry Mama, but I don't think that it would be a good idea." I said, mentally flinching.

Her eyes narrowed. "Why not? This woman is obviously special to you. I've _never _seen you like this."

My mother had a point. I'd dated a lot of women and _none_ of them compare to what I have with Stephanie. She's the sexiest thing on two legs. She makes me smile and laugh. And _feel_.

And it _scares me_. Scares me to the point of running.

But then I think about my life _without_ Stephanie, and that scares me more.

"We need to get to know each other better."

She accepted that with a nod. "Fine. But I want to meet her by Christmas."

_Jesus_.

"Don't you roll your eyes at your mother! They'll get stuck up there."

"I make no promises."

* * *

"Dude. Sorry about that." Lester said after dinner. He clapped a hand on my back and handed me a drink.

"It's fine. She was going to find out soon anyway."

"She's right though. I've never seen you like this before."

"She's a special girl."

"Don't I know it. She fed us when she didn't have to. Even though she just popped things in the microwave, it's the thought that counts, right? She thought about us and the hunger I had been feeling."

Lester had a point. In most home jobs, we were treated like the help. But in Stephanie's, we were treated like family.

"Hell, if you hadn't asked her out, I was ready to."

I growled low in my throat. The day Lester got near my Babe was the day I was dead and rolling in my grave.

Even then, I'd come back and haunt his ass.

The fact that I called her mine didn't startle or scare me. She _was_ mine. When she brought up Mark today, I thought I was going to kill someone. No way was I letting her share her _coffee_ with anyone.

Somehow I knew telling her that would push her away.

That didn't mean I didn't say it with my voice.

And I had a feeling that she knew it too.

But she wasn't running.

I was ecstatic.

Lester put his hands up. "Hey, whoa. You had a thing going. I followed the bro code. But if she turned you down… That made her fair game."

I smiled. He had no idea she asked me out first.

And never would.

My phone vibrated in my pocket. Stephanie. _Happy Thanksgiving! I hope your stuffing yourself silly._

Grinning, I shook my head, and typed back. _Same to you, Babe. Just finished dinner at my parents. You?_

_Same. Mom made a delicious turkey and pumpkin pie._

_ Sounds like you had a good day._

_ I did. I need to move our date back an hour. Does 7 work?'_

_ Sure. Why?_

_ Grandma needs a ride to the funeral home. Don't ask._

Knowing her Grandma, I didn't have to.

_7 works for me. I can't wait to see you._

_ Me either._

Those two words lifted my heart more than anything anyone had ever said to me. Seven was too far away.

But she was worth the wait.


	11. Chapter 11

Hi. Remember me?

Jeez. Real life has been a pain (remember, NEVER work retail at Christmas) and I hope everything goes back to normal with the muse when I get done with school applications (which will be SOON, thank God). So maybe once all that's done, my brain will be able to focus back on this (where I really want to be).

I'll try to get one more out before Christmas, but I make no promises.

Not mine, but oh how I wish it was...

Warning: Smut. Yes, Ranger finally got his way.

* * *

"I have to go." Carlos said. I could feel him smiling.

"Uh huh," I replied, placing my mouth back over his.

"Really this time." He gasped when we came up from air. I moved to his neck.

"Yep." I kissed him again.

He may be telling me that he needed to leave, but the hands on my hips and how they tightened possessively were telling me a different story.

He wasn't going anywhere any time soon.

"I guess five more minutes wouldn't kill me." He sighed.

I giggled. "Well I wouldn't want to find you dead."

"Put a real damper on things." His hands moved to my ass.

"Agreed. So ten more?"

"Just to be safe."

"Safety first."

"It's a good motto to live by."

"The best."

He guided my lips back to his. I never knew the joys of just kissing a man before Ranger. Most men I've dated have adhered to the three date rule. Three dates and then you have sex.

This was the end of date _six_.

I whimpered when his hands left my ass and caressed their way up to my breast, gently teasing my nipples through the fabric of my button down.

"Christ, Babe. What you do to me." He groaned when I moved back to his neck.

I had a feeling. It was all over his face, his dark eyes and tight jaw.

And of course in the _lower_ parts.

I rubbed gently over said parts and he groaned, his hands tightening again.

"I _really_ should go now." He said.

"But it hasn't been ten minutes!" I pouted. I moved my hand lower and caressed him through his pants. There was no way I was letting him leave tonight without giving me five… no six… orgasms. Since we started dating, I've had to up my sugar intake from manageable to diabetic coma.

"_Babe_."

"Please, Carlos. We've had six dates over the past month. I think it's time I show you the _whole _house."

Instead of answering me, he grabbed my face and started kissing me again. I whimpered at the lack of answer, but I'd get one out of him. He was going to stay whether I tied him up or not.

"Ooh, who's getting frisky now?" I said when I felt the vibrating on my hip.

I felt him chuckle. "It's my phone, Babe." He sighed. "Yo."

Carlos listened intently. I sighed as well and sat back on his knees. His shirt was rumpled from my hands. The top four buttons were unbuttoned. Hmm. I don't remember doing that.

He leaned on the back of the couch and caressed my right knee by his hip while he talked to Tank. "Explain." He bit out.

Uh oh. I know that voice. Something bad went down and now he needs to fix it. Looks like the date's over. I shoulders slumped.

Carlos's eyes changed from pissed to apologetic. He sighed at me and shook his head.

He wasn't getting the full tour tonight.

"I'll be there in half an hour." He hung up. "I'm sorry."

"It's okay." I sighed. "You can't help it. Was anybody hurt?"

"Hal got shot chasing a skip but it grazed him. He'll be fine. They have the house surrounded and need me there."

I bit my lip. It sounded bad, but I wasn't going to say anything. His entire _life_ was dangerous but I'd rather be in it, than worrying from the outside. Sensing my discomfort, he cupped my cheek this time.

"I'll be safe, Babe. Promise."

"I know." I lowered my head. He was always careful. It was one of the things I could count on when he went out on the job. I blew out a deep breath and put my big girl panties on. "I know. Do you have to go now?"  
This time he grinned. "No. The skip is fifteen minutes away. I don't have to leave for another ten."

"Yay!"

My body relaxed under the warm water. Another successful date with Carlos. And what a date that was.

He had surprised me at the store with a present. I squealed and ripped into the paper. Carlos chuckled at my kid like attitude and the confusion I wore on my face.

"A blindfold?" I asked him. I was secretly hoping this wasn't something kinky.

And even more secretly that it _was_.

"The date is a surprise, Babe. I can't have you peeking."

I raised my eyebrows at him. "You don't trust me?"

He came closer and ran a finger down my cheek. "Of course I trust you. I just can't trust you not to peek."

I bit my lip. I really wanted to know where we were going! Surprises are nice, but I'd rather be in the know. The look on my face made me pause. He _really_ wanted to surprise me. I sighed. "Fine, crazy man. I'll put it on."

He grinned.

Three minutes later, I was sitting in the car, drumming my fingers.

"Where are we going?" I asked.

"Babe." Was all I got back.

A few more minutes passed. The only thing keeping me sane was the drumming.

He stopped at a light and shifted to look at me. "Are you going to do that the whole way?"

"Are we going far?"

"Yes."

"Then probably."

He sighed. Heavily.

"Does it make you want to tell me?"

"If it makes you stop? Yes."

Damn. That was pretty easy. When he didn't tell me, I prompted him. "Well?"

"I've been trained by the CIA, held hostage and tortured more times than I'd like to think about and you think you can break me with some finger drumming?"

I stopped. "Were you really tortured?" I asked quietly.

I could hear the grin in his voice. "No, but it made you stop."

"Ass." I mumbled. My thoughts kept straying. "Were you really tortured?"

"It was part of my training." He said vaguely.

"I'm not talking about in training." That I could deal with. For the most part, it was safe. It was when the good guys _weren't_ in control that worried me.

"I was good at my job, Babe. I was never caught."

My shoulders relaxed.

He grabbed my hand and kissed my fingers.

"But you'd tell me if you were, right? Because I can handle it. I'm not some weak willed woman who gets squeamish at the mere mention of something outside her realm of comprehension and… Hey! What are you doing?"

During my little rant, Carlos had pulled the car over and dragged me onto his lap. I pulled the blindfold away from my face and saw him grinning at me.

"Did you even realize that you were rambling?" He asked me.

"Only a little." I sighed. "I just want you to know that I can handle any scars you may have."

He kissed me, long and hard. "Good. Because I may have been good enough to escape the enemy, but that doesn't mean I was great enough to escape them entirely. I have a few scars."

"I have scars too. Everyone does. It's what makes us human. It's how we live with the scars that make us who we are."

We shared a few more kisses before he deposited me back into my seat. I replaced the mask and Carlos took off again.

He surprised me with a date to the Jersey Shore. We went on all the rides we could, ate until we got sick and Carlos even won me a stuffed rabbit.

I squeezed it close. "This is the best thing I've ever gotten."

"Babe. It's probably worth only fifty cents."

"But you _won_ it for me. That's what makes it special."

He shook his head and laced our fingers together. "You're easy to please."

"You have no idea."

He laughed out loud.

A loud beeping brought me out of my thoughts about Carlos.

Holy crap! Someone was trying to break into my house! I never thought this would happen to me. I shut off the water, grabbed my towel and headed for my room. No way was I going anywhere without my gun.

"Don't. Move." I said, pulling the hammer back on my gun.

"I'm having a sense of déjà vu." The voice chuckled.

I turned on the light. "Carlos? What are you doing here? Why did you set off the alarm?"

Carlos went over to the pad and switched it off. As my security company, he has a master password to override the system. "Looks like Lester had a few tricks up his sleeve."

I shrugged and sat the gun down on the table. Realizing that I was in the room with one of the sexiest men in the world, I tightened the towel around me.

Of course that just drew his eyes to my state of undress. Carlos's eyes darkened and I felt my eyes go wide when I watched the crotch of his pants expand and tighten.

_Never_ in my life had a man reacted to me that quickly.

"_Babe."_ He said in a tightened voice.

"What? I was showering when _you _decided to break into my house."

"Well I checking to make sure that everything worked right. And since its all working…" With his fists clenched and his jaw tight, he turned around and started to walk away.

I couldn't believe it. He was going to walk away when I was standing here, dripping in a towel!

Well screw that! Once again, I was going to have to make the first move.

"Carlos." I said in my most husky voice.

When he turned, I dropped the towel.

"Are you sure you want to leave?" I asked, looking at him through my eyelashes.

His eyes darkened even more and he growled. Swiftly, Carlos turned on his heel and walked to the door.

What the hell! I looked down. Was I that bad? Self consciously, I crossed my arms over my body.

When he turned again, his face went from feral to surprise.

"What are you doing?"

"This was a dumb idea." I said, not looking at him.

He crossed the room in five steps. Cupping my cheek, he gently brought his eyes to mine. "It's the _best_ idea you've had all night." He grinned now. "I was locking the door. You came out so fast in that little towel and your gun, I forgot to lock it."

"So you weren't going to leave?" I felt my cheeks flush. Normally I was a very confident woman. But standing in my living room, completely naked, made me self conscious.

He took my hands and pulled my arms away from my body. His eyes raced all over my body. "How could I? You look _irresistible_."

He dragged me into his body and kissed me deeply. I moaned when my nipples rubbed against the soft fabric of his shirt.

I pushed him away and I swear he whimpered. "Hey, what are you doing here anyway?"

Smiling, he ran his finger down my cheek. "We were interrupted before. I never got the whole tour of your house."

My heart lifted. "Are you sure?"

His face turned serious. "Are you sure?"

I took Carlos's hand and guided him to the bedroom. "Hey, I'm walking around naked in my own house. I couldn't be surer."

He grabbed me by the hips. "I hope you walk around naked more often."

"Only if you do it with me."

"Deal." He scooped me up into his arms.

"What are you doing?" I screeched.

"You weren't going fast enough." Using his long stride, he made it to my door in three steps. I opened the door for him and he gently tossed me onto the bed.

I rested on my elbows and watched Carlos undress. He pulled his shirt over his head in that manly, sexy way that mussed his hair. I licked my lips as his muscles flexed when his hands went to his fly.

"Allow me." I said, flicking his hands away. I pulled the zipper down slowly and eased them off his hips. He kicked his shoes, socks and pants to the corner of the room.

My breath left my body.

Clothes did not do this man justice. Carlos was lean and muscular. Not an inch of fat anywhere. He had a light smattering of hair near his belly button that darkened as it got lower; like an arrow that said _look here Stephanie!_

And did I look.

He was definitely bigger than anyone I'd had in the past. I bit my lip.

"It'll fit, Babe." He said soothingly.

I wasn't so sure.

So Carlos showed me.

He pulled me to the edge of my bed and opened my thighs. Carlos worked his way up my thighs until he was right where I wanted him. I gasped as he licked the seam of me and grabbed his hair when his tongue found my clit.

"More." I groaned, pulling his head closer. "Harder."

He chuckled and I gasped at the vibration. His finger entered me and I arched to his mouth. He added a second and I moaned loudly.

"God, Carlos, I'm…" I moaned out my climax he stayed with me, gently lapping at me until the shudders subsided.

I fell back onto the bed. Carlos lay next to me, smiling smugly.

"That was better than a Boston Crème donut."

He raised an eyebrow.

"Hey, in my world, that's a big complement."

"Well," he said, moving me up the bed. "Maybe I should shoot for being better than a dozen donuts."

"Many have tried, none have succeeded."

"Good." He said, kissing my lips. "I like a challenge."


	12. Chapter 12

Yay! Another chapter out. I'm just glad I was able to keep my promise.

So this one is a little longer than normal, but hopefully it'll keep you guys satisfied till the next update (hopefully before new years). I hope everyone has a happy holiday, no matter what religion you celebrate, or don't.

Not mine.

**Warning: **Ranger's getting naked! M for a reason, people.

* * *

**Ranger's POV**

"God, you're beautiful." I said to her. Her face was flushed, her eyes a dark blue and dilated. She panted through swollen lips.

Stephanie gave me a small, self deprecating smile. "I bet I'm a mess."

I combed my hand through her wild, tousled curls, pushing them behind her shoulder. She looked like a Greek goddess with all that curly hair and porcelain skin. "Not in the slightest. You look thoroughly loved."

"Mmm…" She moaned and arched her back a little which raised her breasts. My eyes honed in on the rosy nipples that begged to be sucked. "Not yet. I believe you haven't finished your challenge."

She was right. I hadn't finished with her yet. I paused. My brain and cock were fighting on what to do next. My brain wanted to taste her again while my cock wanted to shove right inside her.

I was surprised when she just laid there, her big blue eyes staring at me as I decided. I could almost hear her say, 'what are you going to do next?' with an eager curiosity in my head. Most women immediately moaned and then said 'fuck me' or some variation and adding pet names like 'stud' into the mix while heading southward to give me a blow job.

But not Stephanie. She didn't act like a wannabe porn star. She just looked as curious and excited as I did.

I had a feeling that most men were turned off by this. They want a cook in the kitchen and a slut in the bedroom.

I just wanted Stephanie.

And she gave me everything I desired. She was a _real_ woman. And by God did that make me harder.

I helped scoot her up the bed and gently rolled her on her back. Her curls fanned out on the pillow and I wrestled with the impulse to bury my hands in it and never let go. She shifted her hips and opened her legs slightly, a silent invitation to join her.

No arguments here.

I settled myself on top of her and she gasped. "Am I too heavy?" I asked as I balanced my weight on my knees and elbows, worried that I was too heavy. I didn't want to crush her before we got to the fun part. My balls tightened at the thought of the fun part.

She shook her head and blinked a few times. "No, not heavy. Your weight feels good." Stephanie bit her lip. "Please come back."

Gently, I lowered myself down onto her. She moaned low in her throat and arched her hips, putting herself right onto me. "_Dios_, Babe. You feel good." I groaned.

She giggled. "But you're not even inside me yet." She replied, peeking at me through her lashes.

The woman was pure sex kitten.

I was ready to slide in when I paused. My brain finally kicked in. _What about birth control you stupid fucker?_

Stephanie read my mind. "I'm clean and on the pill. We're safe."

I nodded. "I'm clean too."

"Good. Now get inside me."

I grinned. "Bossy little thing aren't you."

"When it comes to my orgasms yes. Now if you don't get that delicious cock in me now, I'm going to have to take matters into my own hands."

My eyes darkened at the thought of Stephanie pleasuring herself. She was probably fucking beautiful. "That's something I'd like to see." I growled.

"Only if you're a good boy." She paused. "Well?"

With the other women I slept with, it didn't matter if they were on the pill. I always wore a condom just to be sure. No way was I going to have another kid that wasn't planned. I loved Julie, I did. I just wasn't going to be that stupid again.

With Stephanie, however, I _needed_ to feel her surrounding me. I grabbed her leg and lifted it to my hip, opening her to me. She reached down and guided my cock to her entrance. Watching her face, I started to enter her.

"Jesus, Babe, you're so tight." I groaned. I was worried I was going to hurt her if I went to fast. And if I went too fast I wasn't going to be able to pleasure her the way I wanted to.

"Well it has been a long time." She said as I rubbed the lines furrowing her brow.

I was stunned. As I let her body adjust, I asked. "How long?"

"This is what you want to talk about? Now?"

I raised my eyebrow. She sighed and bit her lip. "It may have been mmrfmmm…" She mumbled.

"What was that?" I asked, sliding another inch into her. She gasped.

"Two years, seven months."

I stopped. "_What?"  
_

She shrugged. "I've been busy getting my business off the ground."

Knowing that she hadn't been touched in two and a half years somehow made me very giddy. It told me that she was very picky about her lovers and the fact that I was one of the men she shared her bed with, it made me feel like one lucky son of a bitch. I pushed the last inch inside her and bottomed out at her cervix and swelled with her fluttering walls. She moaned. Loudly.

"God you feel good. It feels like you're coming out my ears."

I chuckled and she shivered with the vibration. "You're good for the ego, Babe." I waited a few more moments and then began to move. Groaning, I remembered the fire from our first kiss.

Only this fire was hotter.

"You feel so good, Babe." I whispered in his ear. "You're so hot, so tight, so wet, and so perfect."

"Carlos." She mewled, throwing her head into the pillow. I felt a fresh gush of wetness coat my cock. Her eyes crossed as I swiveled my hips to hit her clit.

All too soon, her walls started to flutter in impeding orgasm. Her panting got deeper and her skin flushed a perfect rosy red.

My Stephanie was fucking gorgeous.

"Eyes open, Stephanie." I said as her eyes shut in pleasure. I wanted to see her eye dilate and darken. I want her to know that it's me pleasuring her, not anyone or any_thing_ else. "Focus on me."

It took a moment for her eyes to focus enough to lock on mine. I hitched her other leg on my hip and pounded away. Her moans became louder and I felt her nails claw down my back to my ass.

"More," she pleaded as she moved her hand around my hip to get between us. I knew exactly what she needed and knocked the hand away. She whimpered for a moment until my fingers began to stroke her sensitive clit. Her hips slammed into mine and she screamed. She panted loudly for a few more moments and then all breath stopped. "Ooh," she breathed.

"That's it, Babe. Let go." I said, swelling again as her walls tightened around me.

And then she did. She let out one low groan and she began to pulse, clamping down on my cock. I gave her a few more thrusts and then groaned as her walls squeezed the orgasm out of me. The feeling of coming inside Stephanie was indescribable. She arched and had another orgasm as I blew and her eyes rolled back in her head.

My limbs felt as weak as a newborn foal and before I could collapse onto Stephanie, I pulled out of her sensitive core and rolled onto my back. Stephanie curled up on my chest, kissing the exposed skin and throwing a leg over mine. I smiled and stroked her back gently, loving the feeling of goose bumps creeping up her skin.

Yep, I was right. There was nothing _vanilla_ about making love with Stephanie.

"See? Wasn't that worth the wait?" I asked her.

"Mmm…" She moaned. "Yes."

I grinned widely.

"I can feel you smiling. You can stop being smug about it."

I couldn't help it. She _was_ good for the ego. "What's the verdict?"

"About?"

"Me vs. Donuts."

"Are you fishing for a complement?"

"No. Just curious." I was surprised to find that I was. After a long drought, I wanted everything to just right for her. As long as I was in her life, she would never have that problem again.

And I planned to be in her life in a long time.

"I'll never tell…" And then she was asleep.

* * *

**Stephanie's POV**

So he was better than twelve dozen donuts. But I was never going to tell him that. His ego was big enough.

Like some of his other parts…

I shook my head, freeing my mind of the though. I yawned and stretched. The other side of the bed was cool. My stomach dropped. I was really looking forward to some morning sex.

It was as if he'd heard me because Carlos came in with two steaming mugs of coffee. I grinned. "Is that the _special blend_?" I asked him.

He grinned back. "It is." He sat the mugs down on the table and grabbed my face. "Good morning."

"Morning. I thought you left."

"Without my coffee? That's what I was offered and I wasn't leaving before that."

I just rolled my eyes. When I sat up to grab for the cup, the sheet fell down to my breasts. I scrambled quickly and covered them with the sheet."

"Babe."

"What?"

"I know every inch of your body. Intimately." He growled.

I shivered. I knew exactly how well he knew my body. I stared at him through lower lashes. Then dropped the sheet.

His eyes went to my nipples, as if they were immediately drawn there. They beaded under his gaze.

He waited until I took a gulp of my perfectly doctored coffee to rip the sheet all the way off of me.

"Hey!" I said, crossing my legs.

He grinned. "In for a penny, in for a pound?"

"You're not the one sitting here naked!"

Eyes full of mirth, he stripped his pants off. "Better?"

"Mmrf."

He cupped my cheek. "What was that?"

I watched little Carlos rise. "Much better."

Carlos sat his cup on the table and then took mine. He gently pushed me back into the mattress and climbed on.

There was something to be said about making love in the daylight. You can see every part of your partner that you couldn't in either the drunken haze or dark of night. I bit my lip. Carlos was beautiful. He was made for loving in daylight. Not an inch of fat would dare touch his body.

We didn't match. He could clearly see my uninteresting face and a body that could stand to lose a few pounds. Not to mention…

"Hey," he said gently as he nuzzled my nose with his. "None of that."

"What?"

"Whatever you're thinking. Stephanie, you're beautiful." I must not have looked convinced because his jaw clenched.

"I want to kill every lover you've had."

"Why?"

"Because they didn't see what I see." He pulled me into him. "I see a woman with soft curves. A woman with naturally perky breasts that fit and fill my hands perfectly. I see features on a face that may be normal when you look at them one at a time, but if you take the whole face in, it's uniquely appealing. You're a knockout, Babe. Any guy can see that. And if they can't, that's their problem." He took my hand and kissed my knuckles. "Can't you just believe me?"

"I do believe you." And I was surprised to find it true. I sighed. "I'm such a dope."

He tucked a curl behind my ear. "No you're not."

"Yeah, I am." I leaned on his chest. "I keep thinking… waiting for you to change. That the man switch is going to turn. You've had sex and now it's time to move on. But you're not going to, are you."

"Nope. The only thing that's going to turn is me getting turned on by you."

I rolled my eyes. "That was the worst line I've heard."

"Yeah, but it's true."

I looked into his eyes. "I know. You really think I'm a knockout?"

He took my hand and put it on his hard, throbbing cock. "You tell me."

My hand stroked it a few times. He moaned and closed his eyes. "Prove it."

His eyes opened in question. I took a deep breath. I was going to do something I had done before, but never in the light of day. "I want to be on top.

His eyes darkened to pitch black as he grabbed me quickly and sat me on top of him. I giggled. "Eager are we?"

"Fuck yes."

Using the hand that was stroking him, I guided it to my opening. Holding his eyes, I lowered myself onto his hard cock. When he was fully inside me, my eyes fluttered.

"No. Stay with me, Steph." Carlos growled as he rubbed his hands from my hips up to my breasts, and then back down. After another moment, my eyes locked on him.

When I was ready, I began to slowly thrust up and down. Carlos spent half of his time staring into my eyes and the other half roaming my body with unashamed lust. His hands gripped my hips, moving me in a smoother rhythm. When his eyes reached mine again, his fingers found my clit and he started speaking in Spanish. I couldn't tell what he was saying exactly, but the heat in his eyes told me everything I needed to know. A confidence I'd never known began to flow through me. With this man, I felt like the goddess he believed me to be. I felt like the sexiest woman in the world when he stared at me and I knew that at that moment, I had fallen a little bit in love with him.

With that fleeting thought, I fell off the cliff and into my orgasm. Carlos rolled me onto my back and his hold on my hips tightened as he thrusted himself into completion, letting out a loud roar. The feeling of him coming inside of me was mind blowing. Never had I felt a man like this before.

I didn't know what I was missing.

He collapsed on top of me and I welcomed his weight. "Thank you," I whispered into his hair.

Carlos raised his head. "What for?"

He made me realize that I wasn't as bad as I thought I was. I regained some of the confidence that Dickie had stolen from me. I knew now that I _wasn't_ the ice queen he claimed I had been. After divorcing his ass and making sure he'd never be able to be District Attorney or any other political figure, I became a new person with a desperately needed shot of confidence. Carlos had given me the final piece that I hadn't known I'd been missing. I smiled. "For proving it."

He grinned back as if he knew exactly what I meant and gave me a hard kiss. "Anytime, Babe."


	13. Chapter 13

Hi. Remember me? I bet you do along with the promise to put something out by New Years... And here we are a week later.

I know excuses are like armpits... but I'm going to give it anyway to anyone who actually reads these. Work was wild (and is finally slowing down next week... thank God!) and I had writer's block like nobody's business. See, I have this story that is formulating in my head and it won't go away. I tried to do two stories at once and didn't like it, so I'll finish this one (and I WILL finish it. I _hate_ leaving things unfinished), then post the next one. Problem is... it won't shut up. Which makes it very hard to think about anything else (i.e. this story). So I think I'll start formulating the next story and hopefully that'll help. Keep your fingers crossed.

Not mine. I just own the words that the I make them say, not the characters that Janet so graciously lets us twist and turn like pretzels.

* * *

**Ranger's POV**

The moment I walked onto the floor, silence followed me. Most of the men stared, but a brave few nodded their head to me in greeting.

Fear and respect. Here, I had them in spades.

Tank was waiting outside the conference room. "Just in time for the meeting."

"I never miss one."

"I know that. But I thought with the circumstances…"

My eyebrow rose.

"Dude, you did your own version of the walk of shame."

Jesus. Did I live in a frat house? "Can we get down to business now?"

"I thought you already did that?" Lester asked, poking his head out the door.

I sighed and rolled my eyes in my head. Doing it outwardly would definitely shock the men.

"In." I barked to the men. They paled slightly and followed my orders. When the rest of the crew settled, I motioned for them to begin.

Each man took their turn talking about the FTA pickup, Hal's condition and when he could return to duty, the accounts, potential hot spots, and cases that the feds needed our help on. Things were running smoothly in every department down to Ella, who was bringing in sandwiches.

"Questions?"

I sighed again when Lester raised his hand. "How was it? Is she a ten like I think she is?"

"Dismissed." I said, packing up my things. Most of the men moved.

Most, but not Lester.

"Come on, one detail? One tiny detail?"

"The bedroom is in the back of the house. Go."

Lester waited till we were alone. "Not cool dude."

"Don't call me dude. And I'm not telling you anything."

"Why not? I tell you everything."

"That's because you're a pig."

"You used to share."

That was true. I shared my conquests with the guys.

But that was before Stephanie. _No one_ needed to know the details of my intimate night with her. "We're done here." I left the room.

Lester didn't follow, but Tank was waiting for me. I nodded him into my office. "Not you too." I said when I sat behind my desk.

"What?"

"I'm not sharing _anything_."

"Did I ask you to? Do you want me to share about Lula?"

I grimaced. No way was I asking about them. "So what do you want?"

"I want to make sure that you're remembering our conversation about her."

Tank was my best friend and I didn't appreciate him meddling in my life, but when he looked out for Stephanie like that, my respect for him rose.

"I'm not going to screw her and bolt. She's more than that."

"I was right. You _do_ like her."

"Of course I like her. I don't sleep with people I don't like."

"Lest we forget Jeanne Ellen."

I shivered. "That was too many tequila shots and a mutual need to fuck."

"True. Man, that is one icy woman."

No arguments here.

"So? You're going to see her again, right?" Tank pushed.

"Jeez. Can't a guy go to work without being badgered about the woman he's seeing?"

"Not when it's Stephanie."

I pinched the bridge of my nose. "Yes, I am. I was going to call her later and set something up."

"Be sure that you do." He got up and started to leave.

"She was perfect, you know."

Tank stopped and turned. "She's pretty perfect."

"Did you know that Dickie called her the ice queen?"

"Yeah, all because she wouldn't… you know." Tank looked uncomfortable. This was an awkward conversation as it is. We didn't need to talk about specifics.

I felt my fist clench. "Yeah, I know." If I ever ran into him, I was going to put him on the ground for her. I looked up at Tank and grinned. "Ice queen, my ass."

Tank grinned back. "Nice."

* * *

**Stephanie's POV**

"Hey Connie! Come look at Stephanie's face!" Lula shouted across the floor. There was a lull in the business and Lula wanted answers. "Girl, you got some last night!"

There was no denying it. My face was glowing with happiness and I couldn't get the grin to go away.

"Well? How was it?"

I continued to grin. Lula joined me. "Damn, girl."

"Did you find anything out?" Connie asked Lula.

"I was waiting for you! Took you long enough."

We both knew she was only a few seconds behind. Connie and I rolled our eyes at each other.

"Spill it girlfriend."

"I don't like to kiss and tell." I said, blushing.

"Shit, that's half the fun. If I was in a dry spell like you were… not that it would ever happen to me… I'd scream it from the rooftops."

She had a point. I did want to scream it from the roof.

And maybe take out a billboard.

I shook my head of those thoughts. "It was nice."

"Nice? _Nice?_ Shit, that doesn't sound good. Either he has a small piece or he didn't know how to use it. Or both."

"What? No!"

"You say the painting was _nice_. Your sister is _nice_. You don't say that a night of hot, passionate lovemaking is _nice_."

She wasn't going to let it go. "Fine. It wasn't nice. It was the hottest, greatest night of my life. I lost count."

"Lost count?" Connie asked.

"She's talking about _the big 'O'_." Lula whispered.

"Jeez." Connie fanned herself.

"He's big right?"

"He gives the fireman from _Magic Mike_ a run for his money."

"Wooow."

"That's what I'm talking about." Connie said. "Has he called yet?"

I shook my head. "Not yet."

"Don't worry, he will."

I grinned. "I know. He'll call." I said confidently. I paused. "Don't you have work to do?"

"Cocky, isn't she?" Lula said. "She gets one big cock in her and…"

"Stop." Connie said. "I got it."

Thank god. I didn't want to know where she was going to go with that. I shook my head of all lusty thoughts about Carlos and got back to work. I had to keep busy until lunch.

Easier said than done.

Three hours later, I was playing basketball with crumpled pieces of paper when my phone rang. I sat up and answered. "Hello?"

"Hey." Carlos.

"Hey." I said, softer.

"How are you doing?"

"Good. Keeping busy."

"Playing basketball?"

"You know me too well."

"I know _paperwork_ too well. I just scored a three pointer."

I giggled. Carlos paused. "You're doing… okay, right?"

Now I smiled. "I'm just fine."

"I just want to make sure. I'm bigger than you're used to and it had been a while and I was a little rough so…"

"Oh my god, you're rambling."

He chuckled. "I guess I am, Babe." He paused, and then sighed. "I've never had this happen before."

"The rambling?"

"Feeling something… _more_."

"More?"

"More than I normally do. I can't walk away from you Stephanie. I don't want to."

"Good. Because I'd just chase you anyway."

"Good to know." I could hear the smile in his voice.

"Let me put you at ease. I'm fantastic. Last night was perfect. And…" I bit my lip and moved to close my door. "I liked it."

His voice dropped. "Liked what?"

I blushed. "You're going to make me say it, aren't you?"

"Yes."

I blew out a breath. "I liked that you were rough. It was… mind blowing."

"Good. And it was perfect."

I grinned. Payback was a bitch. "What was?"

He chuckled. "Last night… and you."

I bit my lip. "So what do you have planned for the rest of the day?"

We talked about our days. I had a meeting with my suppliers and he had a few with concerned clients as well as a few FTA's. He didn't have enough time to leave the office for lunch, so we put the phone on speaker and had one in our office.

It may not have been the best lunch date, but it was still pretty close to perfect.

"When can I see you again?" He asked when we finished lunch.

"How about tomorrow?"

"Six okay?"

"Perfect."

"Don't go crazy, Babe."

"Don't get shot, Batman."

He chuckled, then hung up. I was still smiling when my phone rang again.

"Stephanie, it's your mother."

"Hi, ma. I know. All phones have caller ID now."

"Don't sass me."

"What's up?" I asked, deciding to let it go.

"I was wondering when you'll be coming over for dinner again. We haven't seen you since Christmas."

"That was only two weeks ago. I'll be over soon."

"I'm making a roast tonight. And pineapple upside down cake."

My mouth watered. "Save me a piece. I can't come tonight."

"Oh. Is it your _job_?" She asked with a hint of disdain.

My eye twitched. "No, ma. I have a date."

She paused. "And he doesn't mind that you sell ladies panties?"

Nope. In fact he rather enjoyed the selection I picked out last night for my little show and tell hour. Not that I wanted to tell my mother _that_. "He likes that I have my own business."

"Well bring him over. We'd like to meet him."

"I think we already have plans." And if we didn't, I'd make sure we did.

"Fine. Bring him soon, then."

"Sure." When hell freezes over. "I'll be over soon, okay?"

"Okay. Let me know and I'll make your favorite meal."

_Love you too, mom_. "Will do."

We hung up. I think that was the first time since I opened my business that we didn't hang up after yelling at each other.

I probably made her happy when I told her I had a date. She'll be on cloud nine for a week. I'd rather her be happy that I was supporting myself and doing a damn good job with this store, but that was a long way away.

Still, it was progress. And that's all I can hope for.

* * *

So I know we all wanted this to be longer, but right now, something is better than nothing. I hope to make the next one longer. Please do me a solid and show me the love!_  
_


	14. Chapter 14

So I'm back! I know, I know, I should've gotten this out sooner, but no chapter is better than a bad chapter, right? And if there's anybody still reading, please enjoy. I'm in this till the end.

Not mine.

Warning: slight smut. Read or skip, it makes no difference to me, just review!

* * *

"I'm so glad we could do this." I said, smiling over the table.

"Me too. It's been a while." Mark smiled back as he took the seat across from me. I couldn't believe that it had been almost three months since our one date. Carlos was busy with a take down and the girls had dates. I was feeling guilty about lying to my mother, so I called up Mark. It was the perfect time to play catch up with a great new friend.

"Carlos is okay with this, right? I don't want him to think I'm infringing on his turf." He asked the minute the waitress left with our drink orders.

I snorted. "Even if he wasn't, I'd tell him to get a grip. He doesn't own me."

"Still…" Mark actually looked worried. My man had a funny way of making everyone around him nervous. Except me.

I patted his hand. "Don't worry, my boyfriend won't stomp into the restaurant and beat you up."

Mark actually looked relieved. I giggled this time and picked up my menu. What Mark _didn't_ know was that I made sure he didn't. There wasn't any grass growing in my head. The Burg gossip spread like wildfire and the minute I stepped into Pino's with Mark, the tongues would be wagging. In fact, I saw a few phones out before I sat down. I wanted to make sure that Carlos knew that I wasn't cheating. I smiled at the memory of the call.

"I have a date tonight." I said as a hello.

"With who?"

"Mark." I hopped on one foot to put my stiletto on.

Carlos paused. "And you're telling me… Why?"

I stopped fighting gravity for a minute and sat my shoe down on the bed. "Because we're going to Pino's. People in this town love to talk. I just wanted to make sure that you know I'm not cheating and go all he-man on him."

"Babe." I could hear him smiling. "I wouldn't go 'he-man' on him. If I wanted him gone, he would be."

I shivered at the thought. "So you don't care?"

"I'm not your husband, father or master. You can do whatever you want with him, as long as your panties stay on."

"Are you going to check me when I come home?" I asked huskily.

He was smiling again. "Don't tempt me." And he hung up.

So of course, I pulled the tiger's tail. Blushing, I lifted up my skirt and took a picture. _Just for reference._

_Babe!_

"You're blushing. Why?" Mark asked, bringing me out of the memory.

"Just thinking."

"Must be something good." He grinned at me and I bit my lip. Thankfully, he took it as a sign to move on. "Did he tell you we had lunch?"

That worked perfectly. "What? When?" I practically screeched.

"About three days before you guys started dating."

"How did you know the date?"

"I follow Lula on Twitter."

I rolled my eyes. Go figure. Mark continued to look at his menu and I got anxious. "Well? What did you talk about?" I blurted out.

"You mostly. We compared notes on your dating techniques. I told him what to avoid about you, what made you giggle and how to nail you."

"_What?_" I asked, aghast.

He laughed now. "I'm just kidding. Mostly he wanted to make sure I wasn't a serial killer or a stalker."

"You're neither, right? You don't have creepy photos or anything?"

"None that I'll ever show you."

I punched him. "Jerk."

The rest of the dinner went similar to that. We took turns teasing each other, telling stories and laughing our asses off. The tongues were definitely wagging tonight.

I sighed and rolled my eyes at my phone.

"How many was that? Three?" He asked.

I stabbed the piece of cheesecake in front of me pretty forcefully. "Four. I'm sure my mother is booking the hall as we speak."

"Hasn't she met Ranger yet?"

I shook my head. The longer I wait the better chance he loves me enough to stay. "It's better this way."

"I'll say." He muttered mockingly.

"Hey!"

He just chuckled.

* * *

"Hi, ma." I said three hours later.

"You couldn't tell me you were seeing _a man_ tonight?"

I rolled my eyes. Helen Plum grew up in a time where pleasantries were the norm and no one said anything bad to your face. She mostly kept to those rules even when her daughters get into very public shouting matches. The moment she finds out her daughter has a prospective man for marriage; decorum goes completely out the window. "I'm great, ma. How are you?"

"Don't take that sassy tone with me. I want to know about your date." She sounded excited at the prospect of a son-in-law.

"It was nice seeing an old friend."

"_Old friend_? Stephanie you didn't. You're not getting any younger, you know."

_As if I didn't know._ She reminds me every time I see her. "Mark's my friend, not my boyfriend."

"And who _is_ your boyfriend? You've got someone. A mother can tell."

I put my key in the door and turned. Great, her freaky supernatural daughter sense was in hyper drive tonight.

The door opened before I could get my hand on the handle.

"Eep!" I screamed.

Carlos grinned at me.

"Ma? I'll call you back."

"Sure. Fine. It's not like I don't have anything else to do."

"Great." I hung up. "What are you doing here?"

He kissed me hello. "Making sure your panties are still on." He growled. Carlos gently pushed me back into the door. I gasped when he dropped to his knees.

"Carlos." I moaned when he stuck his head under my skirt. I grabbed his shoulders to stay upright.

"Everything's in the right place." He said, giving the front of my panties a light kiss.

I shivered.

Carlos got up and grinned. He kissed me again.

"He-man."

He shook his head. "_Your_ man."

I rolled my eyes. "Pig is more like it."

"Are you just going to insult me all night or can we make love now."

I bit my lip. "Can I insult you _while_ we make love?"

Carlos shook his head. "It's one or the other."

I took a minute to think about it. "Fine," I sighed. "I'll keep making fun of you."

Carlos looked shocked for a second, then grinned. "Smartass." He said, picking me up and throwing me over his shoulder.

"But you love my ass."

He smacked it and I screeched. "And don't doubt it."

We disrobed quickly and dropped onto the bed. I scooted up to my pillows and Carlos quickly followed, stalking me like a panther.

It was dead sexy.

"Still want to make fun of me?" He asked, nibbling on my neck.

"Yep." I said.

He moved onto my earlobe. "And now?"

"Uh huh."

Carlos used his knee to spread my legs and settle in between my thighs. "Now?" He whispered.

"Gak."

He grinned into my neck as he slipped inside me. "That's what I thought."

We moved in rhythm. Our rhythm. Slowly at first to let the tension grow until it became primal. Carlos's grip on my hips tightened and I grabbed onto the muscles in his back. We were close.

"Ready to fly, Babe?"

"Mm, more than ready."

His finger flicked my clit and I was gone. My back bowed and I let a low moan out of my throat. Carlos fit his head into my neck and a few thrusts later, he barked out his orgasm. Before his muscles gave out, he rolled onto his back, bringing me with him and keeping us joined.

"Mmm," I moaned, kissing his chest. "This was unexpected."

Carlos snorted. "You send me a picture of your panties and you don't expect me to rush over here?" He gave me a kiss. "Like I could resist a text like that." Carlos made his way over to my ear. "But please, keep sending those kinds of pictures."

"Dirty man."

Carlos chuckled and I shivered, clenching my walls around him. He abruptly stopped and groaned. Carlos rolled me onto my back again.

"Ready for round two?"

"More than ready."

* * *

"Hey girl." Lula said the next morning. "How was date night?"

"Fine. Mark's good."

"That's not what I'm talking about and you know it."

I raised my eyebrows.

"Tank said that Ranger got a text from you, growled and almost snapped the arm rest of the chair."

I bit my lip to keep from smiling.

"Ooh, you guys were sexting last night? Me and Tank do that all the time. It's great foreplay."

Once again, Lula shared too much.

"So what was it?"

"None of your business."

"You're no fun." She pouted.

"Get back to work."

When she realized that I wasn't going to give anything away, she mock saluted me. "Yes, ma'am."

As usual, I spent half of my time doing paperwork and intended to spend the rest of the time on the floor. I liked to make time to take care of customers to remind me why I do what I do. Most of the time it goes smoothly, but every once in a while…

Shit hits the fan.

"Can I help you?" I asked a woman. She was wearing tight jeans and a tight leather strapless shirt. Her blonde hair was pulled back, making her face looked pinched.

"Yes. I'm looking for something to surprise a friend. I just got back into town and I really want to surprise him."

"Oh, so he's a _special_ friend?"

She grinned. "More or less."

"Well, what did you have in mind?"

I spent thirty minutes with her, picking out unique pieces that would make her and her partner very happy.

"I think he'll be very pleased." I said to her at the register.

"Me too. You know, I don't know your name."

"I'm Stephanie. Stephanie Plum."

A gleam entered her eye. "Jeanne Ellen. We have a mutual friend."

"Oh yeah? Who?"

"Ranger Manoso."

My head perked up. "Oh?"

"Yes. It'll be nice to catch up."

I handed her the change. "Thanks for shopping. Come again."

"Oh. I think I will."

* * *

"Bitch!" Lula said when I told her the whole story. "She's a man stealing hobag."

"She's not a man stealing hobag." It was true. She could try to steal my man, but I had faith that he would laugh in her face. I enjoyed the fact that she thought I would whimper and cry at the fact that she _implied_ she was buying lingerie for my boyfriend. In fact, _I_ was ready to laugh in her face.

Lula snorted. "I think that's what she's planning to do."

"Sure. But I trust my man. She won't get anywhere."

"Yeah, but I saw what she picked out. It's pretty sexy…"

I grinned. I knew that. Carlos enjoyed _that_ particular outfit last week when I surprised him with it after we had dinner at Marsillos.

He enjoyed it right up till the moment he ripped it from my body and fucked me senseless.

"Shit, girl. I don't like that face. You're not going to kill Ranger, are you?"

"Nope. I was just remembering the last time he saw that outfit."

Lula chuckled. "He liked it on you, right?"

"Mmhmm…"

"And if he sees it…"

"He'll see me."

"He'll remember how good you are and if he _still_ cheats… well that just makes him an ass. You should cut her off before she gets her claws into him and beat her senseless. I'll help."

"I've got a better idea." I said, picking up my phone. "Hey, Baby." I cooed into the phone.

"Stephanie." I could hear the amusement in his voice.

"I had an interesting customer today."

"Yeah? Who?"

"Jeanne Ellen."

There was a pause. "She let it spill that we have a past."

"Got it in one. Give the man a prize."

"Babe. That's all it is. The past."

"Oh I know that. If you can trust me with past dates, I can trust you with yours. Besides, she called you Ranger. I know what that means." He chuckled and I twirled my hair. "Remember that outfit I wore last week?"

The chuckling stopped. "Remember? How could I forget? I still have the panties I ripped from your hot, little body." He growled.

"She bought that outfit today."

"Oh yeah?"

"Mmhmm. I thought I should give you the heads up. In case she wants to give you a peek at what you're missing."

"Good to know about that. Unfortunately, you're a little late. We're having lunch tomorrow. I was just about to call you about that. And she's got nothing on you, Babe."

"Oh really?"

"Yes. Are you going to go all 'she-woman' on me about lunch?"

I giggled. "No. I trust you."

"Do you want me to send you a picture of my underwear."

I moaned and thought about Carlos only in his underwear. "Wait," I said, shaking my head free of the thought. "You don't wear underwear."

"I know." And he hung up.

Be still my heart.


	15. Chapter 15

*Sigh* I know, I know. RL has just been kicking my butt. Thankfully, I knew what I wanted to write, I just had to find the time to get it down on paper. I'm just glad I did. I was beginning to feel a little guilty.

Please keep me in your thoughts (and if you're religious, your prayers) tomorrow. I have an interview for grad school and I could use a little extra luck.

Enjoy the chapter! Not mine.

* * *

"I can't believe I've never been to your office." I said to Carlos. We were in the elevator heading up to the fifth floor. Carlos was currently having problems fastening my visitor's badge to the front of my shirt.

"Maybe if I had a bit more cloth…" He mumbled to himself as he unbuttoned my shirt one more time.

I smiled. "That's _three_ now. Anymore and my navel is going to be showing." I looked up and saw the camera. "Can they see us?"

"Mmm, no," Carlos said, nuzzling my neck. "I scrambled the cameras the minute we got in."

At least there was that. "Well they will see me in two floors."

"Not if I can help it." That seemed to get through to him. He finally fastened it to my collar and quickly buttoned my shirt. "You already saw the garage and off that is the shooting range. The first floor is the front desk and… other things…"

"Just say it. It's your arsenal."

Carlos grinned. "Arsenal is a little weak for that. And that's not all."

"A little weak? What do you have back there?"

"The usual and some stuff that's still in testing stages from the government." I opened my mouth and he put his finger on my lips. "I can't tell you what they are."

I pouted. He smiled and kissed my protruded lip. "Well then what else is there?"

"Interview rooms."

"Isn't that a nice way of saying Interrogation rooms?"

Carlos just grinned at me. "Floor three is the gym and training area. We got everything imaginable down there. Four is apartment for the men who want to live on site. There are six apartments and four are currently occupied. Five is the control room and my office. Six is Ella and Luis's apartment. They keep the place clean and orderly."

There was one more floor, but before I could ask, the doors dinged open.

And there stood ten of Carlos's men.

"Jesus." He muttered at me. "Don't you people have jobs?"

"Hal called. He said you were bringing…" Lester looked at me and then back at Carlos. "He said you were bringing _a girl_ up here."

I giggled. Carlos slid his eyes to me. "Don't encourage him."

Lester grinned. "My therapist says I'm incorrigible."

"You need a better therapist."

"Probably."

Carlos crooked is eyebrow. "Move."

They backed up five feet. I giggled again. "Come on, they're just curious. I take it daddy doesn't bring dates home very often."

Carlos closed his eyes. "Never. And don't call me daddy. It undermines my authority."

I bit my lip and looked at him coyly. "Not even when we're _alone_?"

He grabbed me and pulled me in close. "Especially not then. I'd rather hear you scream my name as you finish." He whispered in my ear. I shivered as he gave it a small kiss.

I blushed and turned to the guys. "My name is Stephanie Plum. Please call me Stephanie or Steph, not Ms. Plum. That makes me feel old."

The guys went around and introduced themselves. From convict and gang member to decorated soldier, I could feel the loyalty oozing out of every man standing in front of me. Carlos didn't care if they did time in prison or another country, as long as the man was true to the company and stayed on the morally grey side of the law, they were good in his book.

And that made them good in mine.

Five minutes later, Carlos was able to shoo them away. He then took my arm and led me to his office. I was surprised to find his office was done similar to mine with dark woods and calming wall tones. The room was very _Carlos_.

Over the past few months, Carlos would come to visit and I'd be piled under paperwork. He would gently kiss my head and told me to work and he'd wait. I figured I could do the same for him. As he signed time sheets and worked with clients, I pulled out my iPad and worked on my shipments.

Ten minutes later, Tank came in.

"We got a situation boss with… Oh, hey Stephanie."

I gave him a finger wave.

Carlos nodded. "Give me five."

Tank returned the nod and left. Carlos finished up what he was doing and came around the desk to sit in front of me. He crossed his arms. "You're not a prisoner in here."

I raised my eyebrows.

"You can go visit Hector and Lester. I'm not keeping you on a leash."

I smiled. "I know that. I had some things to work on." I showed him a graph.

Carlos looked relieved. "Okay. Tank and I need to go over some things with a client. If you get hungry, there's a fridge in the control room. It's down the hall, to your left."

"Ooh." I sighed. I was getting a little peckish.

Carlos smiled and kissed my head. "Don't go crazy."

"Try not to get shot."

"I don't think I'm leaving the building, Babe."

"Still."

He smiled against my hair. "I'll do my best." And he left.

I continued to work for a few more minutes until I got bored. He _did _say there was food and I am kind of hungry. Breakfast was a few hours ago and we were having lunch together, but with work, I wasn't sure when that was going to be. So I meandered down to the control room. No one seemed bothered by my presence anymore and I was grateful. Looks like they were taking to me like I was to them.

Lester and a few of the other guys were taking a break when I entered the room.

"There she is!" Lester said, getting up and putting his arm around me. "I thought Ranger was going to keep you locked in the tower all day."

I rolled my eyes. "He's not the warden." I found the fridge. "Ooh."

Lester and the other two guys chuckled. He let me go and explore the kitchen. Unfortunately, it wasn't filled with meatball subs and pizza, so I settled on an apple and a bag of baked chips and joined the guys. Lester introduced me to Bobby and Woody. They had been out on a FTA pickup when we arrived and were coming back to be debriefed.

"So you're the boss's lady." Woody said with a Texan twang.

"He told you guys about me?"

"Well, Lester did most of the talking, but yeah." Bobby answered.

I punched Lester on the shoulder. "Such a gossip."

"Hey, when the boss comes back wearing last night's uniform and a big grin, people need to know. Plus, we all follow Lula."

I sighed. We were going to have a talk about that. "Not everything she puts on there about me is true."  
"So you didn't slip and fall last week?"

"Well, yeah, that's true…"

"And you didn't snort pop out your nose?" Bobby asked.

"Actually, I did…"

"And didn't you…"

"Stop. I get it." I giggled. Lester hugged me close. "I'm glad you and the boss are together. We all are."

"Really?" I asked.

The guys nodded. "You've done wonders for him."

Woody grinned. "I've never seen him so happy."

My blush darkened. I had no idea how much I had changed his life. Not once did he feel the need to tell me this. Sure, we talked about how we were territorial, but never anything more serious.

Like forever.

Mental head slap.

This guy is the epitome of maleness. It was going to take more than a few dates and really hot sex to get him to tell me _that_.

And I was willing to wait.

"Well, ditto for me." I said shyly. Lester grabbed my shoulders and squeezed.

"Good. Because I wouldn't want to kick your ass."

I was laughing and hugging him when Carlos found us. He smiled and held out his hand. "Ella just called. Lunch is getting cold."

My stomach chose that moment to rumble. Everyone chuckled and the blush came back. I took Carlos's hand and he pulled me up. Carlos nodded to the men and I gave them a finger wave goodbye.

"Everything okay with your client?" I asked.

"Just fine. Enjoy your visit?"

"I did." I hugged his arm closer to me. "I'm glad I'm here."

He took the arm I was hugging and wrapped it around me, bringing me that much closer. "Me too."

He may not talk about forever, but talking about the right now was good enough for me.

* * *

Lunch consisted of chicken fajita soup and an assortment of bread rolls. I moaned my way through every bite. Ella was a goddess!

"Babe." Carlos said gravely.

"What? I can't help it! It's _so_ good."

He grinned at me and grabbed another roll. Whole wheat, of course. "Glad you're enjoying this."

"I want Ella to adopt me."

"I'm sure she'll be pleased. She doesn't have any daughters."

I was surprised at that. She had no one to pass this wonderful knowledge down to? I _did_ need to eat at home more…

More to think about later.

After we had finished, Carlos gave me a tour of his apartment. The whole apartment may be sparse in the knick knack department, but overall, it had a calming effect on me that I thoroughly enjoyed.

"And what's back there?" I asked.

"My bedroom."

"Ooh," I breathed. "I haven't seen yet that." I looked at him through my eyelashes and began unbuttoning my top.

"Babe, about Jeanne… What are you doing?" He asked, a horrified look on his face.

"I don't want to talk about her. I want to make love." I said, releasing the button I had just redone.

"But she…"

There went another button. Carlos's eyes darkened. "You're going to do a button every time I bring her up, right?"

"Your mother didn't raise a dummy."

The wolf grin made an appearance. "What if I do this?" He asked shortly before ripping my shirt open and sending every button flying. "No leverage, babe."

Thank god I wore the right bra. Slipping the ruined shirt to the floor, I unhooked the front clasp of my bra, revealing my breasts. Carlos's eyes honed in on the exposed flesh.

"Still want to talk about Jeanne."

"_God no_."

"Well talk later?" I asked, nodding my head.

Carlos nodded his head, eyes not leaving my nipples. I giggled. Deciding to take pity on him, I grabbed his hand and led him to the bedroom.


	16. Chapter 16

Oh man, am I a bad updater or what!

Sorry for the long wait! I was wrestling with Ranger (not in the dirty way, but mmm...) and the story of Jeanne. Honestly, what I've got, I wasn't expecting. Plus RL hasn't given me much time to really sit down and go, what next? (plus with the new story practically banging down the door to be written...). Although I do appreciate the well wishes and the interview went great!

I think there's going to be one or two more chapters... Depending how things turn out.

Not mine!

* * *

I woke up to gentle kisses across my forehead. "Here," Carlos said as he sat a bottle of Gatorade down on the table next to me. "Drink this."

"How long was I asleep?" I asked after taking a gulp.

"A few hours." He took a sip from his own bottle. "Ella's going to bring dinner up in a few minutes."

I nodded and took Carlos in. He was bare-chested, wearing only his cargo pants zipped. He'd left the button undone and I could see the hint of his happy trail that I contently followed only hours before. He was delicious. When I met his eyes again, he was grinning. Caught. I blushed.

"You're too cute." He said, sitting down on the bed next to me.

"Why?"

"Because after all the wonderfully dirty things we did just a few hours ago, I can still manage to make you blush."

I tucked a curl behind my ear. "It's the Burg. We were brought up believing that a man wanted a demure woman in and out of the bedroom."

"I wouldn't call you _demure_ when you begged for me to go harder, raked your nails down my back and grabbed my ass."

I blushed harder. "What can I say? I lose my head when we're together."

He placed his forehead on mine. "I love it when you lose your head." He kissed me softly. "Keep fighting the Burg, Babe. You don't belong in that gilded cage."

"Mmm. My mother and sister fit in there, but I don't."

"No." He said, shaking his head. "You belong right here. With me."

My heart melted to my stomach. "If we had time, I'd totally pull you on top, rip those pants off and…" I was interrupted by the bell. "Ooh, saved by the bell."

Carlos's eyes were dark. "She can wait." Carlos growled. "What would you do next?" He asked into my shoulder while alternating nuzzles and kisses.

I looked over at the bedroom door. "But… food." I whispered. My stomach growled loudly, as if protesting leaving Ella on the doorstep.

Carlos sighed, then chuckled. He kissed my forehead. "I can't go against _that_ beast. Keep that thought for later."Carlos got up and let Ella in. I slipped into his discarded shirt and panties. Slipping into the bathroom, I almost let out a screech. My hair was _everywhere_! I pulled my brush out of my purse and started doing damage control. When it was deemed a lost cause, I dug in and found a hair tie. At least it was somewhat presentable.

Searching the closet, I bit my lip. I had two choices; one was to pull my slacks back on, making me look ridiculous or two, wear one of Carlos's sweats. They would be way too big and I'd have more fabric rolled on my hips than I was actually wearing. Not so comfortable. I didn't want to meet the woman who kept Carlos's house without pants. That just sent the wrong message.

Maybe if I waited a few more minutes… She had to be gone soon, right?

Wrong.

I tiptoed out of the bedroom and the quiet conversation Carlos was having with Ella stopped.

"Oh." I breathed, trying to pull my shirt down my legs. "I thought we were alone."

Carlos just grinned and came to my side. "Its okay, Babe. Ella's not a fool. She knows what we've been doing up here." He kissed my forehead. "Ella, this is Stephanie. The woman who wants you to adopt her."

Ella beamed. "It's wonderful to meet you." She was a short, tiny woman with curly brown hair and big expressive brown eyes. Just like the rest he employed, Ella was wearing the black Rangeman uniform and crocs instead of combat boots.

Carlos said something in Spanish and then left the room. Ella was still smiling, so it wasn't a threat.

"He told me to behave myself." She said, reading my mind. "I wanted to stay and meet you."

"Oh." I felt bad. She must have a ton of work to do and I was being a wuss because I couldn't find pants. "Sorry. I didn't mean to keep you waiting." I unconsciously pulled at the shirt.

"Don't worry. I'm done for the day. The boys all have their meals. Ranger makes me serve him last. It's left over from his Ranger days. Lester tells me he always made sure the men ate before he did."

I smiled warmly. That sounded _exactly _like the man I knew.

"The boys were right." Ella was saying, pulling me back. "You're _very_ pretty." She gave me the female once over, and smiled approvingly.

I tucked an escaped curl behind my ear. "Thank you."

She went back to the table and began to set the plates down. "You know, Ranger _never_ brings a girl here. You're the first."

I was stunned. Carlos wasn't a virgin when we met (I mean, come on! Look at him!), but I had no idea he never had a girlfriend here before. "Never?"

She shook her head. "I know that he dates. I mean, the man is too gorgeous not to!" My mouth fell open at her statement. "I may be married, but I can still enjoy a nice looking gentleman. Anyway," she said as she got back to the table. "When I'd ask him if he ever needed anything for two, he'd just smile and say 'someday'. I never thought I'd see the day."

"Thank you Ella. If we need anything, I'll call." Carlos said when he came back into the room. I was disappointed. I didn't get to ask any more questions.

Ella smiled, gave me a small finger wave and was on her way. Carlos came up behind me and hugged me close. He moved his shirt off my shoulder and kissed the bared skin. "What was she talking about?"

"You really never bring women up here?"

"No, I've never brought women up here. I used to date… frequently. It was more about quantity, instead of quality. I work in security so bringing that volume of women up here would be extremely dangerous."

"Especially if one turns out to be crazy and tries to burn your building down." I paused. "Volume? What kind of volume are we talking about?"

"Babe."

"Come on, Carlos. I'll tell you mine if you tell me yours."

"I already know yours. Six."

"How…?"

"Your background check. I wanted to know everything about you."

"Jeez. I bet you even know when I had my last pap smear."

"Babe."

"Ohmigod. You _do_ know." I was surprised. If a man told me he knew every intimate detail of my life, I might run screaming from the room. But with Carlos, it wasn't weird. He was checking to make sure I wasn't going to try to set his building on fire.

Okay, him knowing about my last gynecological visit is _kind _of weird, but I could deal with it.

I was getting off track. Which reminded me… I turned in his arms. "How many _are_ we talking about? Both hands? Hands and feet?" When he didn't answer, I added. "Do you need a calculator?"

He cupped my cheek. "None of them mattered before you, Stephanie."

I bit my lip. That meant quite a lot, but he didn't want to get into specifics. And yet… "Damn, that's a good answer."

"And the truth." He looked me straight in the eyes. "I'm not going to pretend that I was a monk, Babe, but I can honestly say I never wanted to bring those women up here. _You_ are the first one I did."

Man he was good. "I'm beginning to see how you got all those women. Keep saying stuff like that and their panties just drop."

He grinned at me. "Babe."

"I can't believe I met your housekeeper in my panties and shirt."

"Technically, that's _my_ shirt."

"Oh… Do you want it back?"

He grinned again and his eyes darkened. "God knows I'd love to have _you_ for dinner, but I think we need actual food."

"Jeez." At this rate, my face would never stop being a nice shade of red. "Then let's eat."

Ella brought up a nice roast, fresh vegetables and a small salad for Carlos and mashed potatoes for me. She already knew me too well.

"About Jeanne…" Carlos started again.

I grimaced. "While I eat?"

"If I don't do it now, I'm going to get distracted by your legs and then we won't be talking for a long time."

I crossed my legs. "Oh really? I thought my breasts distracted you."

His eyes honed in on them. "Yes." He paused and his eyes finally reached mine. "Although I'm pretty sure it's _you_ that distracts me."

I smiled and cut my meat. "What about her?"

* * *

**Carlos's POV**

"What about her?" She asked.

"You know nothing happened."

Stephanie sat her fork and knife down. "_Of course_ I know that. The woman is poison, but I know I can trust you."

I grinned. "She's not that bad."

Her eyebrows rose. "Really? Did she come into your store, try to befriend you and after buying a shit ton of lingerie say it was for _your_ boyfriend?"

"Well… No."

"Okay then. She can be poison." Stephanie went back to her meal, and sighed. "_Fine_, she's not _all _that bad, you know, when I look at it from your point of view. I just don't like her."

I grabbed her hands and kissed the pads of her fingers. I had told her that I'd met Jeanne in Ranger's school. Not many women were still in the program and we were partnered up for the rest of the training. At first we kept our distance personally, but after a few close calls on missions, we broke that barrier and… released the tension.

The grimace Stephanie made was cute. "I don't need to know _that_." She said.

"Babe."

"You may not have been a virgin when we met, but that doesn't mean I want to _know_ about all your sexcapades. Would you like it if I talked about the men I've slept with?"

I felt my face darken. "Only if you talk about _me_." No way in hell was I going to sit here and listen to my woman talk about other men satisfying her!

Stephanie's giggle went straight to my groin. What that woman does to me! "Of course, honey. No man has ever satisfied me like you do. I positively orgasm when you reveal your long, thick, hard…"

"Okay, I get it." And it wasn't helping the hard on I was already sporting.

"Well remember the anger when you want to bring up the fact that you slept with that ice queen."

"She wasn't always like that." I said. Stephanie snorted. "The army changes you, Babe."

Her face sobered at that. "I know. I'm sorry; I don't mean to make your time seem trivial. I know the sacrifices you had to make." She squeezed my hand. "I'm just glad that you came home."

She knew about the few close calls I had before my contract was up. It was a miracle that I even came back the same man I left. Much of that had to do with Tank. He made sure I didn't wallow and darken as many of the men do when they come home. He made me realize that life _was _good.

If he hadn't, I know I wouldn't be sitting with this delightful creature on my right.

"So what happened?" She asked.

We decided to meet up at one of our usual haunts. I made sure that I arrived early, so my back was to the wall. I learned in the Rangers, that if you weren't aware, you were dead.

That and I can make sure Jeanne stayed on her side of the table. Always a bonus.

A few minutes later, she arrived. Smirking, Jeanne sauntered over.

"Some things never change." She said.

I nodded once. "It's good to see you. How long are you back for?"

"A few weeks, maybe longer." She sat down across from me. "We'll see how things go."

The last time she came back, I was able to convince her to stay for a month to help me with a case and other… persuasive methods.

Steph grimaced, but made no comment.

The waitress came over and took our order. She asked about Rangeman and I asked about her mission. Even though I was out, I still had enough clearance to get some details. I may not be the army's go to guy, but Homeland Security still liked to give me a call.

After lunch, I crossed my arms and confronted her. "I heard you had an interesting shopping day."

Jeanne snorted into her water. "Did you now?"

"What were you doing there?"

"Checking out the competition, Ranger. No harm done." She leaned back and preened. "Or is there harm done?"

"Steph's not like that."

"Oh come now, you know I'm kidding."

"What do you think you're going to get out of this?" I asked.

"Nothing, Ranger. Absolutely nothing."

"She didn't believe you, did she?" Steph interjected.

"No, she didn't." I said, kissing her fingers and smiling. "Do you want me to finish the story?"

She didn't answer, but rolled her hand as if to say, 'go on'.

The waitress brought our food and the conversation lightened.

Until the check came.

"It's not going to work." She said as I handed the waitress my credit card. She looked confused until I glared at her and she scuttled off.

"Why's that?"

"She doesn't know you. The _real _you."

My fist clenched. "She knows me. _All_ of me."

"I find that hard to believe. Carlos," she said as she grabbed my hand. "We share something special between us that no one can ever erase. Rangers' school and the missions afterward. She'll pretend to understand, but she never will. Stephanie _can't _understand you like I do. And soon enough, you'll start to resent it and her.

"I'm getting out now. We can finally be together."

I slowly slid my hand away. "I want _Stephanie_." I said lowly. "I will never resent her because she _does_ understand me and what I've been through. You and I were never something permanent, Jeanne."

"And you think you can be permanent with _her_?" Her face was filled with disgust.

"Yeah, I do." I stood up. "Stay away from Steph. I hope we can be friends someday, but act like the jealous, jilted lover like you are right now and you'll see firsthand I mean it when I say I'll send you to a third world country." Then I left.

"No she didn't!" Stephanie said. "Next time I see that ho, we'll have a good New Jersey smack down."

I grinned. This is one of the reasons why I liked her so much. Her spitfire attitude was the first thing that drew her to me.

I put my forehead on hers. "_That's_ what you got out of it?"

"No," she replied, shaking her head. "You want something permanent with me?"

"For as long as you'll have me."

She bit her lip. "Okay. I think I can keep you a little while longer."

"Good. Cause I'm not going anywhere, Babe."

Stephanie grinned. "Good." She paused. "Want to get distracted again?"

"Hell yes!"


	17. Chapter 17

I can't believe that it's been a month since I updated! So sorry guys! RL has been a real butt kicker lately. I finally heard back from the schools I applied to and got into all 3 of them! So thanks for your well wishes! They were very helpful. Now I'm all signed up for classes and ready to juggle work and school as well as volunteering when I can. Hopefully I'll have time to sleep and to write! Even with RL being tough, I had a bout of writers block again (maybe I _should_ change my name...). I know how the story was going to end, but I didn't know how to word it... it took me three weeks to realize I didn't like this chapter because of the beginning *mental head slap*. There's another reason (which I explain below so I don't ruin anything!)

So here it is, the next chapter. Please read and know I'm furiously working on the conclusion.

Not mine, but oh how I wish I could play with Ranger on a rainy afternoon...

* * *

The next day, I was heading into the store and Lula met me at the door. I had to blink twice at Lula's choice of outfit. Hot pink skirt and lime green button down shirt. No one could ever say that she was boring. I was just glad that I was wearing my sunglasses.

"Hey girl, late start this morning?"

I nodded and pushed the door in. "Ella made breakfast."

"That lady is the shit."

"Tell me about it."

Lula followed me to my office. "Any more catwoman sightings?"

"Not to my knowledge."

"So is Ranger still seeing her?"

"I'm not going to stop him. They're friends." A few days after their blowup, Jeanne called to apologize to him. They had been through so much, how someone just cut off a relationship that strong?

Doesn't mean I had to apologize to her.

I told Lula the story. "I don't know, white girl. That sounds like you might be asking for it."

"He's not going to cheat. Carlos isn't like that." Lula and I grabbed a box of merchandise and headed back to the floor.

"Plus," she huffed. "You guys are still doing it like rabbits."

I almost dropped the box I was carrying. I was true, but I really wish no one knew _that_. "Why is everyone so interested in my sex life?!" I asked aloud.

"Gotta keep the fans interested."

"Crap." I really needed to learn to keep things internally. "About that Twitter account?"

"It's great, right?"

"Sure, just stop talking about me. I get enough grief from my mother about _that little store you own_." I said, sounding exactly like my mother.

Lula snorted. "Maybe she needs to get some from your father. Everyone needs a good schtupping. It's a natural mood lifter."

Just the thought of my parents… Yep, I'm going to vomit. "Can we please get back to work and not think about my parents naked?"

"Sure thing, white girl." She paused. "You know I'm right though."

Still not going to touch that one…

A few hours later, my phone rang. Mom.

"Jeez." I muttered. "Hello?"

"Stephanie, it's your mother."

As if I didn't know. "Hi ma."

"I wanted to let you know I'm making lasagna tonight and pineapple upside down cake."

My mouth watered. "Sounds good. I'll be there."

"Good." She cleared her throat. "And if you want to bring," she paused. "Carlos… that would be fine."

I was shocked. My mother wasn't completely on board with my relationship, but she was warming around Carlos. We figured it was just an exposure thing. The more he was around, the more she liked him.

I mean, who wouldn't?

"I'll see if he has plans, but I'll be there." Our relationship has been strained in the past, but I think it was starting to slowly heal.

"Good. See you tonight."

"Sure." The minute I hung up with her, I called Carlos.

"My mother invited us to dinner tonight." I said when he picked up.

He paused. "Are we going?"

"Do you want to go?"

"Babe."

I sighed. "I don't want to expose you to my family unnecessarily."

"They're your family, Babe. They'll come with you no matter what."

"Fine. But if you're going to come, wear a cup."

He chuckled. "Babe." And he hung up.

I guess that meant we were going.

* * *

Grandma Mazur was waiting for us at the door. Unlike my last date, she seemed thrilled that he was here. Carlos had joined me for lunch or a few hours before dinner, but this would be the first time that he'd meet my father.

And I wasn't even nervous.

"Ready?" Carlos asked me as he laced our fingers together.

"Ready."

"Your mother said you'd be here, but she didn't say you'd be bringing your hot boyfriend." Grandma said.

"Hello Edna." Carlos said, putting on his most charming smile. "You look lovely tonight."

"Well aren't you the one?" She opened the door for us. "Come on, dinner's almost done."

"Oh. Hello." My mother said. She sounded a little shocked. "Carlos, it's so nice you were able to come."

"I heard you were making Italian so I brought a nice red."

"Oh," now she sounded more relaxed. "How nice of you. Isn't that nice, Stephanie?"

"The nicest." I said, rolling my eyes at Carlos. He grinned.

"This one's a keeper." Grandma said.

Thankfully, the oven bell rang and my mother and grandmother rushed to finish making dinner.

"Sorry," I said to Carlos.

He just continued to grin. "I already knew that your family was a little scary, Babe."

I ignored that. "Come meet my dad." I said.

My father stood from the chair that had sat in our family room for as long as I could remember and sized Carlos up. I bit my lip and waited for the results.

"You treating my girl right?"

"Dad!" Jeez, even at 30…

"I'm treating her like a queen."

Dad looked at me and I nodded. He really was treating me like a queen. Dad sighed and then nodded. "Good. I hear that she sheds one tear for you…" Dad left the threat open ended.

"Got it."

Mom called for dinner and dad shuffled off.

"I think he likes you."

"He ever give anyone else the third degree like that?"

"Nope."

"Interesting."

"I don't bring guys home a lot."

"Why?"

"Have you met my family?"

"Babe." He grinned.

"Come on, let's go eat."

The meal itself was pleasant enough. We said grace and dug in. Carlos managed to keep up with my family _and_ keep his hands. We've been known to stab.

"So, Carlos." My mother started. "How's business?"

"Good. We're expanding our business to a few more cities."

My mother looked shocked and pleased. "Will you be moving to one of these new companies?"

"I'll help them set up their business, but I'll leave the day to day work in someone else's hands." Carlos grabbed my hand and laced our fingers. "I have one good reason to stay here."

I smiled sweetly at him. My mother and grandmother sighed. Carlos said things like this to me all the time, but usually not out in public. Dad, being the big softie that he was, changed the subject quickly.

After dinner, the men went into the garage to talk cars and probably smoke cigars. Us women, we went to clean up the kitchen.

"He's a very nice young man." My mother said.

I was shocked. Usually she didn't like the men I dated unless she picked them out. "Thanks, mom."

"Usually you have bad taste in men, but I really like this one."

I grimaced. She was right, but I didn't like hearing it. "Thanks mom."

"Your Grandma picked well."

This got my attention. "What do you mean?"

"Well I'm sure he told you I bought the system."

"Where did you get the money for that, by the way?" Mom asked.

"I had some money saved up."

I waved my hands. "Yeah, he told me that. What else?"

"Well," she paused. "I figured that since your mother's last fix up was a dud that I'd give it a try."

"I wouldn't say it was a dud…" Mom interjected.

I ignored her. "So you fixed me up with him?"

"Not in the sense you're thinking. I just made sure he was the one to set up the system." She shrugged. "You guys are so good together that I believe you'd eventually meet. I just gave fate a little push."  
I was speechless.

"Look, it's not like I asked him to take you out on a pity date." Grandma said looking at my mother. "_He_ chose to ask you out."

"Actually, I asked him out."

"I didn't pay him to say yes."

True. But still. "Neither of you believed in me enough to find my own boyfriend."

They looked at each other. "We just wanted to help."

"I appreciate that, but you need to butt out. It's my life and if I want to date or not is my choice."

"Stephanie…"

"I love you guys and I'm grateful you pushed Carlos into my life, but I think it's time we go." I got up and went to find Carlos. He was under Big Blue. I bit back a grin. Men.

"Babe?" He asked when he saw my feet.

"Ready to go?" I asked.

He rolled out and looked at me. "Sure," he said. I could only imagine what was on my face, but he didn't comment.

"It was good to see you, daddy."

"Am I going to see you again soon?" He asked. Clearly my face didn't get past my father. Plus, he knows mom. Sometimes we'd fight for months.

"Sure. Soon as I can." I kissed his cheek. "Love you dad."

"Love you too, pumpkin." He hugged me close and shook Carlos' hand. "Be good to her."

"Always." Carlos replied. He held out his arm and I curled into his body.

* * *

"Okay," Carlos said when he parked in my driveway. "What happened?"

"Nothing." I said.

"Babe, you were quiet the whole way home. _Something _happened."

I bit my lip. I wasn't mad at my mother and Grandmother. They were just trying to help. But at the same time, I couldn't help but wonder, was everything real?

"What did my Grandma say to you when you first met?"

"That she wanted to have a security system installed for her granddaughter."

"Anything else?"

He shrugged. "I don't think so. She might've said 'you'll do'. But I'm not sure." He turned in the seat. "What's going on?"

I shook my head. I didn't know what I was doing. I reached for the door, but he stopped me.

"Stephanie. Talk to me."

"Have you ever felt like someone was controlling your life? Picking the path they want you to go on, not the one you choose?"

"Sure, but that was when I was in the army. That's the way it operates." Carlos stared into my eyes. "Do you feel like someone is controlling you?"

"Yes. No." I sighed. "I don't know."

"Do you need to talk about it? Come on, let's go inside."

"No."

"You don't need to talk?"

I shook my head. "I think I need to be alone right now."

He continued to stare into my eyes. "We're good, right?"

I smiled softly. "We're good." I kissed him. "I just need to be alone tonight."

We kissed again and he put his forehead on mine. "You're making me nervous, Babe." He grinned. "I've never seen you like this."

I shrugged. "It's my mother. She gives me a lot to think about." I rubbed his cheek. "I'll call you tomorrow, okay?"

"Sure." He kissed me one last time and let me go.

I waved at him when I made it to the door. He beeped his horn and pulled away. I bit my lip. What if we _weren't _meant to be together? I didn't want another Dickie situation. I'm pretty sure I wouldn't survive that. Or was I just being silly. So what if my Grandmother helped? Wasn't I glad she did?

"I'm so confused." I sighed.

What was I going to do next?

* * *

Okay, I know I promised that she wouldn't be self-conscious, but... this is how I saw it. Trust me, I tried for two weeks to change it, but the muse and characters wouldn't let me. I know we all prefer Stephanie strong (and she'll get there, trust me... the next chapter's pretty much mapped out!), but she's got to go through some final growth. So don't hate me yet! Just hang on... its worth it. I have three words:

Jersey smack down.

Keep reading!


	18. Chapter 18

Well, we've come to the end of another story. Sorry, _again_, that it took forever to get out. I was having problems getting it out of my brain. It didn't want to transfer onto the screen, but thankfully after three hours and a numb butt, it finally came out! I could've made it into two chapters, but I figured since you guys waited so patiently, you deserved the rest of the story in full. So please, enjoy the final chapter of _Fate's_. There _may_ be an epilogue, but nothing's in the works right now. I think it ends quite nicely.

As you know, I have another story already stirring the pot. I'm going to take some time off from writing, recharge, and be back with the next full length story in a few months. There might be some one shots, but nothing concrete on that yet.

Not mine. I just like playing with characters and putting them in crazy situations.

* * *

"Girl, what the hell do you think you're doing?" Lula asked when she stormed into my office.

I ignored her and continued to look through my filing cabinet. "What does it look like? I'm working." I replied, distracted. "You know, something that you should be doing?"

"Nuh huh. That's not what I'm talking about and you know it." She closed the door and got in my face. I actually had to back up to the wall. "That man has been nothing but nice to you. He's practically perfect bending over backwards for you and if it wasn't for my Tankie, I'd be all over that. But what you're doing right now? You're screwing this up!"

I pretended to ignore her again, but on some level I knew she was right. It had been five days since I found out my grandmother had set me up my latest boyfriend and I wasn't any closer to figuring out what to do. You know what's funny? I wasn't pissed at my Grandma Mazur. Not in the slightest. She was just trying to help.

So why was I blowing this relationship?

Because the last time this happened, I married Dickie. Mom had us casually meet (exactly like Carlos) and we hit it off (exactly like Carlos). A few months into my relationship, my mother explained what she had done. And I was grateful. Dickie was a wonderful guy. As it turns out, Dickie lived up to his name. Now, all I wanted to do was to make sure that this wasn't the same thing. My brain knew that.

My heart? Not so much. There would always be a part of me worried that I wouldn't be enough for him, like I wasn't enough for Dickie.

After four months, I knew I loved him. I was all ready to give Carlos my heart.

Now I wasn't so sure. My heart was now living firmly in denial land. I thought I loved Dickie and he cheated on me. I worried that if I told him I loved him, the same thing would happen again. In my family, history tended to repeat itself.

"Look, I know what your Granny did was crazy, but you can't blame her forever."

"I don't blame her." I sat back down behind my desk.

"You don't? Why not? She did the _exact_ same thing that your mother did! You hated her for months!"

"I know it sounds crazy, but she didn't do the same thing. She just hired a man to do some work. It was up to us to figure out the rest. My mother pushed me straight into Dickie's and Joe's arms. She forced relationships; Grandma just put a man in my way. I had the right to say no."

"Then why haven't you called him! I thought that you were avoiding him because you thought he and Granny were in on it, like Dickie was. Girl, you need to give that man some peace of mind!"

Because it was the rest that I wasn't sure about. Sure, he wasn't a mom-made relationship, but how do I know for sure that we were real or not. My mind was literally going in confusing circles. "I'll talk when I'm ready."

"Well… then you better get ready."

"Why?"

"He's here."

I dropped my pen. I wasn't ready to see him yet. "What?"

She put her phone away. "Just talk to him about this. He deserves to know what's going through your head. That man's in this relationship too."

Crap. She had a point there. I sighed and nodded. "You're right."

"Damn skippy I'm right."

"I know you did this."

"Who me?"

She left after that and Carlos came in. Man, he looked _gorgeous_. Carlos had chosen his commando look today; black shirt, black cargoes and black combat boots. My stomach dropped. His face was blank. He reserved that face for employees or when he was mad.

And considering I'm not an employee…

"Hey," I croaked out.

"Hi."

We stared at each other.

I pushed some papers around my desk. "I was going to call you."

He cricked up his eyebrow. I bit my lip.

"Five days, Stephanie."

Uh oh. Not Babe.

"Five days and all you've sent me is a text."

"I know. I was just..." I sighed. "I've got a lot on my mind right now."

He crossed his arms. "So… Let's talk."

I sat down silently and bit my lip.

After a few moments of silence, he sat down too. "Fine, I'll go first. I talked to your grandmother yesterday."

"What?"

"When you didn't return my calls, I went to see her. I needed something, Steph."

I felt my hackles rise. "So you figured going behind my back was the way to do it?"

"What else was I supposed to do? You weren't talking to me." His face flickered with anger for a moment and then went back to being blank. "I'm not a man who enjoys being ignored and has to beg for scraps, Stephanie."

Guilt filled my stomach. Before me, Carlos didn't have relationships. He made the terms in every encounter he had. With me, he changed the ballgame. And now I was doing the same thing to him that he did to those women. I promised myself I wouldn't put him in that situation and I broke it.

I just needed some space from this and the guilt that was settling so easily in my body.

So I did what I do best. I tried to go into denial.

"Look," I sighed again, rubbed my forehead. "I don't care that you talked to my grandmother. You can talk to whoever you want. I've got a lot of work to do and I haven't really had a chance to think things over."

"Bullshit."

"Excuse me?"

"You've done nothing but think about it. Stop trying to lie to me, Stephanie. I've learned from the best."

I stood up and started to pace. "What do you want me to say? That my grandmother set us up? That she's been pushing us together for months and we didn't even know about it? That I'm frustrated and confused and mad all at the same time?" It went unsaid that all the emotions were pointed at myself. Frustrated that I couldn't completely let my insecurities go. Confused about all the feelings and mad because I was going to screw this up and was powerless to stop it.

"That's a good start. What else?"

"You think this is really going to help?"

"If it gets us past this, yes."

"You're not pissed?"

"No. In fact I'm grateful."

That made me stop. "What?"

"If your grandmother hadn't done what she'd done, we may have never met."

"You can't believe that. Your second in command and my best friend are dating. It was inevitable."

"And by then you could've been married. Or you'd be seeing someone else. I don't break relationships up, Stephanie. We might've missed each other. And that would've been tragic."

"And you don't think that's somehow wrong?"

"No. I think your grandmother loves you and wants to see you happy. She was just trying to make sure you had what she had with her husband."

"Did she tell you that?"

"Actually she did. After she talked to you, she figured I needed the whole reason why. For some odd reason, she didn't think you'd listen."

"I would have." I said, sitting back down. "I think she's worried that I _am_ mad at her, when I'm really not."

"So if you're not mad at her, what's the problem?"

I crossed my arms and bit my lip. I knew it was time to talk. Carlos wasn't going away until we did and Lula was right. I wasn't the only one in this relationship. "I'm… scared…" I started. "That I won't be enough."

"Babe, we've been over this. You're _more_ than enough for me."

"I know, but I still worry about it. I think a small part of me will always wonder after Dickie…" I trailed off when his eyes went flat.

"Don't. Don't do this."

I bit my lip and said nothing. I hated that Dickie was still coming between us.

"When are you going to stop comparing me to him? When are you going to realize that I'm not him?"

"I don't think that!"

"Then why is he still part of our relationship?" He asked quietly. I wish he would yell at me. I deserved it. I hated myself enough already.

"You have no idea how happy that my grandmother pushed us together. I want to thank her every day." I paused.

"But…?" Carlos prompted.

"Even though you're not Dickie, I guess there's still a small part of me that will always be waiting for you to change like he did. He did a one-eighty so fast that I missed it. I didn't want to miss it the next time it happened. Joe was like that. I had the feeling I ignored with Dickie."

"I won't change, Babe. I haven't seen any other woman in months. Not since I saw you."

My heart melted at that. "I know that. But isn't there some small part of you that wonders if this is all real or if it's just because we were pushed together?"

"No. I don't have any doubts about us. But clearly you do."

_This_ was what I was trying to avoid. Carlos looked at me with such distance that even if I was in his arms, I would still be millions of miles away from him.

Every fiber of my being wanted to shout that I didn't. That I knew it was real between us and Dickie just used me. I knew that Grandma was just trying to help and he was as much of an innocent bystander as I was. Dickie knew exactly what my mother was doing, but Carlos had no idea. But something still held me back. Something kept me from being one hundred percent sure.

"Looks like this might be a good time to take a break."

My stomach dropped.

"I have to go visit the other offices over the next few weeks and I think we could use the space." He frowned as he watched my face pale. "When I come back, we can talk, okay?"

"Yeah, sure."

His eyes bored into mine. "You okay?"

"Mmhmm." But I didn't feel like I wasn't.

"I'll call you when I get back, okay Babe?"

Even the use of my nick name didn't make me smile. I was breaking in two. "Okay."

His frown stayed, and he kissed me on my forehead. "Don't go crazy."

"Don't get shot."

He smiled softly and left.

Taking my heart with him.

* * *

Over the next few days, I was a zombie. I worked, I slept, and I ate, but not much else. I thought about what he said every moment I let myself.

Fortunately, that wasn't too often. But often enough.

Connie and Lula tried to talk to me the first couple of days, but after I yelled and threatened to fire them, they stopped. Now they just gave me worried looks.

I wished they would just stop. I needed space from the whole situation. He'd be back and we'd figure this all out. I just needed a little more luck to make it through this.

But apparently, it wasn't my lucky day.

Jeanne came sauntering in. Lula cursed and Connie rolled her eyes. Her eyes roamed the store until they landed on mine and they began to glow.

"When I'm right, I'm right." She said when she came over to me.

"I don't know what you're talking about." I started to walk away.

"Ranger wasn't going to change for you. To him, you were a nice little distraction, but we both knew that he was going to get bored one day."

"The fact that you still call him Ranger says it all. You still call him by a nickname from his Ranger days. He's moved on since then. Clearly you haven't."

"You have no idea what he's been through."

"I know enough that I don't need to dredge up the past every time I see him. What does he talk to you about? Missions? Ranger training? We talked about things like what he was doing _tomorrow_. Did he ever ask you what you were doing next week?"

Her face started to turn red and I knew I had struck a nerve. But she rebounded quickly. "Sure he did. We talked all night last night. On seven."

I felt my face pale.

"Oh, didn't know that?" She grinned widely. "Yeah, it was heartbreaking for the first few hours. He talked about how you were so understanding and pretty but as the night went on, he showed his real feelings. He told me that you were a sad little gnat that just wouldn't go away. He found you tedious, boring and full of petty drama. Of course, the next morning, I told him that he should tell you the truth, but of course, he doesn't want to break your heart, little girl."

I glared at her. "I don't believe you."

"Ella makes a mean breakfast omelet, doesn't she?"

This is where things get hazy. Jeanne taunted me for a few more minutes, but I tuned her out. My sight turned red.

And I blacked out.

"_Get this crazy fucking bitch off me_!" Was the next thing I heard.

I felt like Ralph in _A Christmas Story_. I was literally beating the shit out of Jeanne. She had a black nose, scratches on her neck and my hands were currently around her neck. Lula and Connie were standing around, staring at us.

I didn't care what kind of spectacle I was making. I didn't care that my mother would hear about this. I just _didn't care_.

Thankfully, Lula came to her senses. "Okay, Rocky, let's go." She picked me up and pulled me off of her.

Connie stepped in between us and kept us apart.

"Bitch can't handle the fact that he was always going to end up with me!" Jeanne shouted.

"You okay?" Lula asked, ignoring Jeanne's shouts.

"I'm fine."

For a second, I thought she didn't believe me, but then she let me go. We were standing so close that I could feel her chuckle. "I told you so."

"What?"

"You were holding it in for so long that I'm surprised you didn't blow sooner." She chuckled some more. "Nice blowout though."

I looked over at Jeanne. I felt no guilt at what I'd done. She'd stuck her hand in the cage of a hungry lion. All I felt was satisfaction. She was Army Ranger trained and I got the jump on her.

"Thanks." I said.

Jeanne's eyes narrowed. "You were _never_ good enough for him. He was playing house for a few months, but he got bored. You're just another Burg housewife."

I gave a hollow laugh. "If he wanted you, why didn't he keep you when he had you?"

That shut her up.

"Oh, didn't know that?" I asked, throwing her words back at her. I grinned for the first time in a week. "He told me all about your… encounters. And yet, somehow he managed to pull his pants up and walk away. You may have spent the night on seven, but I've spent _several_. Did he ever spend every last moment in bed with you, wishing he didn't have to go as he hugged you tighter?"

"He was just playing the role you wanted him to. He was humoring you. Placating you." She may have said that, but I detected envy in her voice and eyes.

"Believe what you want to, Jeanne. But he'll never be yours."

"We'll see about that." And she came at me.

And I leveled her with one punch.

The store was silent. Lula and Connie had their mouths open.

"And that's how a Burg housewife takes care of her man." I said to her motionless body.

The women in the store smiled and cheered. I felt my smile widen. As the congratulations came pouring in, there was only one thought going through my mind.

_What the hell am I doing here_?

After a few moments, Lula began to draw the attention to her reenactment for the people in the back. "That was one good Trenton smack down, girl." She chuckled.

I grinned again. When everyone was distracted, I snuck off to my office and made a phone call.

"Tank, I need a plane." He paused and then, "thank God."

I asked the one question that changed my life.

"Where is he?"

* * *

**Carlos' POV**

"Okay, get the numbers ready for me and I'll look at them tomorrow." I said to the men in the Miami office. Silvio nodded and wrote down what I needed.

"Questions?" I asked. There were none. I nodded once and dismissed the men.

"You okay?" Mateo, Miami's manager asked me when the room cleared. Mateo and I went through basic together and when he got out of the Army, I knew I needed him on my team.

Unfortunately, he saw too much.

I nodded. "Just tired."

"Uh huh." He said. "You want to talk about her?"

"How much did Lester blab?"

"None." He grinned. "I know you. I guessed."

"I don't want to talk about it. I'm tired."

"Sure. I'll be up for another hour if you change your mind."

"Thanks man."

I called for the elevator and thought about Stephanie. It had been almost two weeks since we last talked and it felt like half of me was missing. Stephanie and I may be having trouble, but I thought I knew her well enough that she would want to talk at least once. Maybe even try to work this out before I got back.

But nothing. Radio silence from Trenton.

The doors opened and I got in. As I did each night, I felt the numbness creep into my bones. Before our big fight, we'd call and say goodnight to each other. Hearing her breathe kept me stable.

Now I was just numb.

The elevator reached my floor, bringing me out of my reverie. I was glad we were getting the space. She needed to be sure in herself. In us.

I didn't need to be convinced.

Sure, I was kind of mad I was manipulated into the relationship by Edna. At first. Now, all I felt was thanks. I was thankful every day that Stephanie was in my life.

Now I needed her to be thankful.

I tossed my keys into the dish on the sideboard and picked up the mail. Most of it was bills, so they could be dealt with tomorrow. I crossed the room to put them in the office when I stopped after passing my bedroom door.

I stepped back and reached for the gun on my hip.

The light flicked on. "I won't move."

My hand relaxed. "Babe."

"Hi."

"What are you doing here?"

"Mateo called. He told me you were on your way up."

She was wearing one of my shirts, her hair was tousled and I could see a crease in her cheek from the pillow. I was glad she was here, but there were still blanks. "How…?"

"You were supposed to be here last week." She told me how she had called Tank and flown where he thought I was going to be. I wasn't checking in as much as he would've liked and definitely wouldn't have known I changed my plans.

"I went to Atlanta first. I wanted to spend more time with Julie." I paused. "How long have you been here?"

She rubbed her eyes. "About eight days?"

Eight days. Eight whole days. I could've been with my Babe for eight whole days?

Steph saw my face and got off the bed. I groaned. She was wearing _only_ my shirt. Her nipples pebbled against the cloth and the light behind her showed me she wasn't wearing her panties either.

"Let me talk first. You went first last time."

I nodded. It wasn't going to be hard. I hadn't seen my Babe naked in two weeks and I couldn't keep my eyes off her now.

"You were right."

My eyes left her body and locked on her eyes. "I was scared that you were going to become like Dickie and I get why I'd think that, but it wasn't fair to you. You did nothing to show me that you had the 'wandering eye' and by the way you were just looking at me, I can't imagine that you would."

I grinned. "I haven't seen you in over two weeks. You look positively mouthwatering."

She blushed furiously. "You're nasty."

"And you love it."

"God help me, I do." She smiled widely. "That plus the fact that you barely let me out of bed when we were together makes me realize that you wouldn't have time to chase other women."

"I only want to chase you. Preferably around the apartment."

Her face glowed. "Maybe later."

"You're not Dickie. And you'll never be Dickie." She cupped my cheek. "I'm sorry it too long for me to realize that. I actually had a conversation with Dickie."

"Did you really?"

"Well, it was more or less me kicking him in the nuts and asking him why, but still effective."

"You kicked him in the nuts?"

"Well I was angry. He treated me like trash and I thought he should pay for it."

I grinned. That's my Babe. "And what did he say?"

"He apologized for sleeping with all the women. He told me he was just using me to gain more power in the burg and was sorry that he misjudged the fact that I would just let him sleep around. Most housewives do that."

"I'm glad you didn't either."

"Keep that in mind mister. If you do cheat on me, you'll get it worse than a kick in the nuts."

Unlikely, but I wasn't going to tell her that. She might bolt. "Duly noted."

"Good." She took a deep breath. "I'm really glad that he won't come between us anymore."

"Does this mean that you trust me?"

"I never stopped trusting you." Her nose crinkled. "I stopped trusting myself."

I rubbed her shoulders and arms. "And now?"

She took a deep breath. "I think I was scared. Scared because Grandma had set us up and history was repeating itself. I was afraid the love that I felt for you wasn't different like it was with Dickie. But I know now that it's not true."

My heart stopped. She loved me?

"But now I know that it is different. It's better. It's more real than anything I've ever felt before. I love you Carlos Manoso and if you even feel the slightest…"

I stopped her by kissing the hell out of her. "Oh," she breathed. I smiled. "I love you too." I said.

"Yeah?"

"Oh yeah."

"Well good. I'm glad to hear that." She smiled sweetly. Right before she punched me in the shoulder. "Did you really have Jeanne in your apartment?"

"Yes. How do you…?"

"She came into my store. I really should send her a thank you card because she made me realize how much I loved you and how big of an idiot I was being."

"What did she do?"

She told me the whole story and I had to grin. "You went all Jersey on her ass. For me."

"Duh. Who else would I go all Jersey for?"

"Good to know." I smiled and tucked a curl behind her ear. "She spent the night on the couch. She came over with a bottle of Jack. I think she was hoping we'd drink enough and have sex, but I'm not twenty-five anymore. I know better than to fall for that."

Her shoulders sagged. "Thank God."

"I told you Babe. I haven't seen anyone else since you."

"I'm glad that's still true. Because I haven't seen anyone either."

The numbness that had settled in was gone. My Babe was back at my side.

"Now," she said as she pulled my shirt over her head. "I distinctly remember you saying something about chasing me around the apartment?"

My cock bobbed alive. I nodded with it.

She pushed me out of the doorway. "Tag! You're it!"

Stunned, all I could do was watch her ass twitch out the door. Her giggles filled the apartment and my heart.

Thankfully, my training kicked in and I regained thought. I stripped quickly and ran after her. Only a few seconds later, I grabbed her naked waist and pulled her tightly to me.

"No fair," she giggled. "Ooh, did you forget to take off your gun?"

I growled as her ass rubbed sensually against my cock. "It needs a good oiling. I haven't used it in a while."

"Well, you should oil it regularly."

I turned her around. "You know we're not talking about _guns_ right?"

She grabbed me and I ground loudly. "Yeah, I got that." She tilted her head. "Are we going to make love now?"

"Oh hell yes." I picked her up and fireman carried her to the bed.

"We're okay, right?" She asked me nervously.

"Are you mad and your Grandmother for setting us up?"

"No, I'm glad she did it."

"And am I Dickie?"

"No," she moaned as I gently swiveled my hips against her. "You are _definitely not_ Dickie."

"And you're going to trust us?"

"Yes. And I trust you too."

"Even with Jeanne?"

"Yeah. She's a skanky ho, but I can trust you around her. She can try to steal my man but the only one you'll be sending penis pictures to is me."

"Same goes for you Babe."

"I got no problem with that."

"Good." I growled. I cupped her. "Because, this is mine."

"Good." She mimicked my voice and grabbed me. "This is mine."

"For as long as you want."

"Forever isn't long enough, but it's a start."

I grabbed her lips with mine. Time for talk was over.

I was ready for forever.

_The end._


End file.
